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EARLY CROWNED 



MEMOIR OF MARY E. NORTH. 



By LOUISA J. CROUCH. 



Thou art gone home, early crowned and blest ! 
Where could the love of that deep heart find rest 

With aught below ? 
Thou must have seen rich dream by dream decay, 
All the bright rose-leaves drop from life away. 

Thrice blest to go !— Hemahs. 



WITH AN INTRODUCTION 

By Ret. R. S. FOSTER, D.D. 



New York : 

CARLTOX & LAXAHAK 
CINCINNATI: HITCHCOCK & WALDEN. 

SUN DAY- SCHOOL DEPAETMENT. 



T5R ,725 ' 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, 

BY CARLTON & PORTER, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for 
the Southern District of New-York. 



Gift 
Judge and Mrs. Isaac R. Httt 
July 3, 1933 



TO 

MART'S FRIENDS, 

ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HA YE AIDED IN THIS LABOR OF LOVB 

BY 
THEIR REMINISCENCES AND HER VALUED LETTERS, 

®^ little Mnmz 

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. 



INTEODUCTION. 



This little volume is given to the public not be- 
cause it is supposed to contain any special literary 
merit. It makes no pretension to this. Its chief 
claim is, that it is the truthful story of an unevent- 
ful, but noble young life : the faithful delineation 
of a not wonderful, but beautiful character. As a 
tribute of affection, designed to treasure up the 
memory of the dear departed, it is well under- 
stood that it will be most interesting to the large 
circle of personal friends by whom she was deeply 
loved ; but the hope is cherished that it will be ac- 
ceptable to others, and minister both pleasure and 
profit to them. 

To pure-minded young readers, and to all such 
as are aspiring after the highest style of Christian 
life, it will not fail to be a winning and welcome 
voice. 



<5 INTRODUCTION. 

Such as are content with mere worldliness — as 
have no sense of God — as, engrossed with the 
present, have no true ideas of the seriousness of 
being, no yearnings for goodness, for usefulness, 
for immortality — will find nothing here in their 
plans. Could they be persuaded to linger but a 
few hours amid these pages, pondering their simple 
but devout and deeply-spiritual teachings, they 
might perchance go hence bearing a wealth which 
they seek in vain in the more exciting volumes of 
thrilling but profitless fiction : lifted for the time 
above the stifling and intoxicating atmosphere of 
sense and folly, they might return to the common 
pursuits and perilous temptations of life with an 
inward power, the inspiration of superior truths, 
which would bear them, nobly and triumphantly, 
through all duty and trial, to that highest consum 
mation, a glorious immortality. 

It is impossible to behold a beautiful life, or 
even read of it, without feeling somewhat its 
exalting power. It becomes as a seed dropped 
into the soul, which fructifies and expands, trans- 
forming us. The communion works sympathy, 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

and the sympathy culminates into a likeness. 
Souls are forever impressing each other, giving 
out good or evil according as they are. Blessed 
are the hours, and fraught with benedictions, that 
we spend in the fellowship of souls greatly good. 
It is like being on the mount with God. 

There are two things, I think, in which the chief 
value of the book consists. 

Primarily, in the insight which it furnishes into 
the growth and struggles of a youthful spirit in 
its passage from the image of the earthy into the 
image of the heavenly. In the letters which are 
so staple a part of the volume, and which grve to 
it its greatest charm, we are able to trace the 
stages of development with perfect distinctness. 
Each in its turn marks an obvious advance. We 
behold the child-soul emerging, unfolding, expand- 
ing, taking upon it ever new and higher beauties, 
until at the close we are held in the admiration of 
a character all radiant with celestial light, van- 
ishing away into a world of brightness. 

The second noteworthy thing in the book is 
the light it sheds upon a Christian home. We are 



8 INTRODUCTION. 

conscious all the time that we are mingling with a 
domestic scene lifted out of the common plane — 
that we are shut in with a class of influences peculiar 
and sacred. We are sojourning with a household 
in which God is honored, and the verities of the 
eternal and unseen world are potent. 

But few of any age will be able to rise from 
the reading without feeling that they have for 
once found a home reared and conducted upon 
superior Christian principles — a home the antepast 
of the everlasting abode of the glorified. When 
shall Christians learn the secret here displayed ? 
Daughters will not depart from the communion 
of these pages without being better, more dutiful, 
and helpful. Sisters will henceforth be truer, 
kinder, more loving ; all will learn something of 
the spirit in which life's work of trial and useful 
labor is to be performed ; will be more tender and 
considerate, more faithful and true, for having 
dwelt for even a few moments in the atmosphere 
of this sweet and loving spirit. No one will fail 
to see how religion exalts and beautifies life : how it 
sheds a halo over youth, and sustains and qualifies 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

for all duty, bears up in all trial, and finally, be- 
ing made perfect, swallows up death and life in a 
glory ineffable. 

We are not of those who would inflict upon 
youth a mawkish and morbid pietism, robbing life 
of its pleasure. We would glorify it — fill it to the 
brim with the purest and loftiest joys — make the 
life that now is the beginning of the heaven that 
is to be. Youth ought to be buoyant and beau- 
tiful and blissful. 

"Religion never was designed to make our 
pleasures less." They only have learned the true 
secret of happiness who have found their way to 
the "fountain opened in the house of David." 

We knew the subject of this memoir well in 
all the vicissitudes of her brief life. We saw her 
in prosperity and adversity, and again in pros- 
perity ; when the flush of youthful health and 
beauty and hope was upon her cheek, and when, 
stricken by the hand of disease, she withdrew 
from the throng, to wait in the sick chamber her 
release from earth. In each case, the one as well 
as the other, she was happy. But few have had 



10 INTKODUCTIOJN. 

more to live for ; none had a higher appreciation 
of life, a profo under enjoyment of all the beauti- 
ful and good there is upon earth. No heart ever 
more deeply loved the loving around her ; but when 
she saw death coming, and felt that she must leave 
all so dear, looking up she beheld heaven open, and 
with shouting bade farewell to the earth, in the 
full faith that death was but gain. 

How often it is ordered that bereavements fol 
low in swift succession ! During the time that 
these pages were in the course of preparation, 
death came a second time to the Christian home. 
The closing chapter recites the story of the sick- 
ness and death of Adolphus, the much-loved bro- 
ther of Mary — a youth of rich promise, and exceed- 
ing beauty and maturity of Christian character. 
The one was scarcely glorified before the other 
was crowned. 

A wise man long ago said, " Whom the gods 
love die early." We stop not now to inquire into 
the truth of the saying, nor yet to philosophize 
about it. Like most proverbs, it is possibly a half 
truth. In one view it is a mystery that anybody 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

should die ; in another, it is no less inexplicable 
that many should be permitted to live. The per- 
plexity is double when those are taken away who 
give promise of a useful and happy life, while those 
remain to whom misery is appointed, and who 
accomplish no valuable end. In vain do we seek 
to understand the ways of Providence. It suffices 
that "He doeth all things well." When, as in 
these two cases, he calls away from homes of piety 
and love the young, the brave, the gifted, the 
beautiful, the good, there is a reason for it. Let 
us patiently wait. " "What we know not now we 
shall know hereafter." 

It will add interest to these memoirs, on the part 
of many readers, to know that the lovely Mary 
and noble Adolphus are the children of one with 
whom they have communed many times in the 
columns of almost all our Church journals, our 
highly esteemed and dearly beloved brother, C. C. 
North. 

The thousands who have read with delight and 
profit his able articles, will breathe a prayer that 
he and his most estimable and deeply-bereaved 



12 INTRODUCTION. 

wife may be supported under their great trial. 
Their honor is indeed greater than their sorrow. 
Blessed of the Lord are the parents who give to 
heaven such offspring. If need be, for a time 
there is sorrow ; but looking onward, the everlast- 
ing days are resplendent. Through the open door 
into which these glorified souls passed, we are 
permitted to behold a glimpse of the ineffable, which 
they henceforth gaze upon without intermission. 
" Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." 



PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. 



Ox a quiet hill-side in " Sleepy Hollow Cemetery," 
the neighborhood of which is made famous by the 
classic pen of Washington Irving, and not far from 
the spot where he is buried, now lie the remains of 
Mary and Adolphus Xorth. There may be no such 
necessary connection between Irving's grave and 
the graves of these two young Christians as to 
prompt the mention of them together, yet to one 
who has read the life of each, and who has be- 
come familiar with the enchanting scenery where 
they sleep, it is but natural that they should sug- 
gest associations not wholly disconnected. Ir- 
ving's fame was already commensurate with the 
English tongue when he died. His best monu- 
ment is his books. But in the " Early Crowned " 
is seen the power of goodness to lift itself out of 
the comparatively narrow sphere of its creation and 
action, and to place itself in a position where it shall 
be widely and permanently felt. As in the case of 
the Dairyman's Daughter, a character was formed 
in domestic seclusion whose intensity could not be 
confined to the brief years and the limited locality 
of its formation, but must spread itself wherever 
moral beauty can be recognized and loved. 

There is a deep interest attaching to every true 
life. The faithful delineation of the transitions 
through which an earnest soul passes, must always 
possess a charm so long as the feeling of a common 



14 PKEFACE TO THE THIttD EDITION. 

nature binds all hearts in one. What we wish most 
in our reading, what does us most good, is to have 
reality so presented in its relation to the great 
principles which affect us as that we may see our- 
selves reflected in what we read. A biography 
which accomplishes this, though it embodies no 
startling facts, no novel opinions, and discloses no 
heart-rending crises, yet will never lose its fresh- 
ness and usefulness. Nature perpetually sees it- 
self in the mirror which a pure art holds to it. 

Such has been the impression which the perusal 
of " Early Crowned " has produced upon its read- 
ers. In its first conception and issue it was hardly 
expected that it would attract attention much be- 
yond the circle of the personal friends of its subjects ; 
but it has been read far and near, and from all di- 
rections testimonies have been received both as 
to the pleasure it has awakened and the spiritual 
benefit it has conferred. Young souls have been 
converted, young Christians have been strength- 
ened, and loving parents have been inspired by its 
pages. God has thus honored it so that the ques- 
tion of its continued publication is no longer one 
of gratification, but of religious duty. A third 
edition is called for, and is now sent forth w T ith 
the prayer that wherever the simple portraiture of 
these young followers of Jesus may be read devout 
yearnings for the purest Christian discipleship may 
be begotten and nourished. 

New York, Jan., 1869. H. B. RlDGAWAY. 



EARLY CROWNED. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

These green hills thon didst so much love 

Yon river winding to the sea ; 
The sunset light of autumn eves, 

Reflecting on the deep still floods 
Cloud, crimson sky, and trembling leaves 

Of rainbow tinted woods : 
These in our view shall henceforth take 
A tenderer meaning for thy sake ; 
And all thou lov'dst of earth and sky 
Seem sacred to thy memory. — Whittiee. 

The beauties of our noble Hudson have often been 
celebrated by both pen and pencil, and travelers 
from many lands have united in praising its sur- 
passing loveliness. If it has ever been your privi- 
lege to journey in one of the floating palaces which 
are constantly passing to and fro upon its bosom, 
I doubt not you have been entranced by the charms 
of the scenery on either hand ; but to study its 



16 EARLY CROWNED. 

beauties more at leisure you must make your home 
for days in some pleasant farm-house whose out- 
look is river-ward, and at morning, noon, and night 
watch its ceaseless flow, its ever-changing delights. 
The Palisades, how grand ! the chiseling of an 
almighty sculptor ; the hills, how freshly sweet in 
their dewy grass and blossoming trees ! the valleys 
between, how tinted with sunshine and shadow, 
the work of a divine artist ! but more thoroughly 
enjoyable are those hills whose summits are crowned 
with pleasant homesteads, while down their sides 
slope the fields of waving grain or fruit-laden trees ; 
the pleasant valleys, in which nestle the tiny cot- 
tages of content ; and the commanding eminence 
with its grander mansion, showing by its situation, 
as well as its decorations, that there abide some 
who seek rest from honorable strife for competence, 
in communion through nature with nature's God. 
These speak of pleasant homes ; of childhood happy 
as the day is long ; of youth more rationally spent 
than in the whirl and dissipation of a city life ; of 
middle age enjoying pleasure in the midst of toil; 
and of old age green and blooming, afar from tur- 
moil, resting awhile in the land of Beulah ere sum- 
moned to the celestial city. This is no imaginary 
picture, for in the midst of these scenes lives the 



EARLY CROWNED. 17 

family to which Mary belonged. Following a 
winding road from the Scarborough Station, we 
gradually ascend a hill until we reach the Viue- 
clad cottage so long the happy home of our most 
dearly loved. 

Entering the little gate, and passing up the nar 
row side path, step on the verandah, and walking 
quite past the parlor windows, take your stand with 
me in the corner which overlooks the garden below. 
Mary's garden ! the flowers still bloom, but she 
who planted them so long ago, and loved them so 
well, has gone where 

M Everlasting spring abides 
And never withering flowers." 

What a scene is spread before us ! Our path 
from the river has been gradually but steadily as- 
cending, and now as we look out upon the land- 
scape, bathed in the golden sunlight, we are ready 
to exclaim, tc These are thy glorious works, Parent 
of good ! " As far as the eye can reach, the river, 
like a stream of liquid silver, flows through scenes 
of beauty and transcendent loveliness. The blue 
hills on the further shore, the far away horizon of 
mingled sky and mountains, the nearer verdure of 
the "Point" and " Cove," make a picture seldom 

equaled ; while in the foreground the flowery hill 

2 



18 EARLY CROWNED. 

side just below us, and the shady culvert, still 
deeper in the dell, seem to invite us to search for 
new beauties closer at hand. 

In this lovely spot Mary spent three golden sum- 
mers, and one quiet, happy winter. And though 
she evinced much satisfaction when the mansion 
was about to be built nearer the top of the hill, 
and took much comfort in the thought of a 
" homestead," a refuge for any of the family group 
who, after battling with the world, should grow 
weary, discouraged, or distressed, still she has often 
said, "After all, perhaps we were happier in the 
cottage than we shall ever be again, so cosy, so in- 
timate, so sufficient for each other." 

Leaving the " cot beside the hill," you will be 
glad to stop the carriage, which is juat passing, 
and drive the rest of the way. The hill grows 
steeper, and nearly upon its summit, above the 
grass-grown terrace, the friendly door of " Ash- 
ridge " stands open to us. 

If the scene below were beautiful, from here it 
beggars description. From Mary's front windows 
the landscape widens, opening new beauties to the 
view ; and as you gaze upon the sky, the water, the 
earth, you cannot but think with Mary, that "If 
earth were so lovely what must heaven be ! " 



EARLY CROWNED. 19 

" But now, alas ! the place seems changed ; 

She is no longer here ; 
Part of the sunshine of the scene 

"With her did disappear." 

From this pleasant home one sunny day in 
August you might have seen a little company set 
forth with moistened eyes, subdued words, and 
quiet tread. The little ones after a season seem to 
forget their sorrow, and are almost merry as they 
journey toward the city; so happy are they with 
the presence of father, mother, and brothers all at 
once. But the silent tear in the mother's eye, the 
abstraction on the father's face, and the quietness 
of those usually joyous brothers, tell too plainly that 
an unusual errand is theirs. It is a holy pilgrimage 
to the grave of the first born on the anniversary 
of her natal day. 

The first birthday Mary has spent in heaven ! 
How vividly and sweetly comes now to the family 
group the remembrance of former happy festivals, 
when some with pleasant gifts, and each with sin- 
cere love and good wishes, hailed the day so glad- 
some to them all ! 

" God calls our loved ones, but we lose not wholly 

What he hath given ; 
They live on earth, in thought and deed, as truly 

As in his heaven." 



20 EARLY CROWNED. 

Reaching the city and crossing the river, an hour 
or two finds them in Greenwood. Here must we 
leave them as they enter the inclosure where rests 
the clay casket which held their precious jewel. 
" Jesus wept " at the grave of one of his dearest 
friends, and surely to his followers the same 
blessed privilege should not be denied. This turf 
will be greener, and these flowers bloom more 
brightly, watered by tears of love, and tended by 
affection's hand, and we shall leave this last resting- 
place better and holier for communion with the 
sacred dead. 



EARLY CROWNED. 21 



CHAPTEE II. 

HER CHILDHOOD. 

. Thou hast no heavy thought or dream 
To cloud thy fearless eye : 
Long be it thus ; life's early stream 
Should still reflect the sky. 

Yet, ere the cares of life lie dim 

On thy young spirit's wings, 
Now in thy morn forget not Him 

From whom each pure thought springs. 

Mes. Hemans. 

More than twenty-one years ago, in the lovely 
flowery summer, was a little household blessed by the 
advent of the firstborn, a daughter. Many whose 
lives have been saddened by sorrow, have counted 
their years by winters ; others, more moderate in 
their enjoyment of the good gifts of heaven, num- 
ber their days by the springs ; but to all who 
knew our Mary, it w r ould seem most natural to say 
u for twenty summers she was with us," then 

" The light of her young life went down, 

As sinks behind the hill 
The glory of a setting star, 

Clear, suddenly, and still." 



22 EARLY CROWNED. 

She was born in the city of New York, but the 
first years of infancy were spent in the South, till, 
in 1846, when Mary was but three years old, her 
parents returned to the metropolis. 

As a child, there was little in her attractive to 
strangers, and few suspected the mines of hidden 
worth which were slumbering beneath that unas- 
suming exterior. It was the work of education and 
grace to develop the resources of a mind like hers, 
and to transfuse in after years the beauty and 
purity of the heart through the external being. 

Mary early developed a powerful will. When 
only two years old, she on one occasion was dis- 
obedient, and refusing to confess her fault, her 
father labored for hours to bring her will into sub- 
jection, when, at last yielding, she made ample 
confession, and ever after would obey her parents 
at a word. 

Advancing in years, she was quite orderly and 
industrious, showing very early a taste for sewing, 
which never left her. When about six years of 
age, she was one afternoon seated in her little chair 
by her mother's side, busily sewing on some patch- 
work, when a visitor came in. The lady, as . was 
natural, spoke to the little girl so industriously en- 
gaged, and wondered at seeing so young a child 



EARLY CROWNED. 23 

sewing so neatly. Shortly after, she sent to Mary 
a morocco needle-book. This little gift was ac- 
companied by a note, saying it was " for the little 
girl who sewed so nicely, from one of mamma's 
friends." Mary took much delight in this, and used 
it for three or four years. 

She was passionately fond of dolls, and until al- 
most twelve years of age found pleasure in sewing 
for them and playing with them, enacting in min- 
iature that motherly part which in after years was 
manifested toward her young brothers and sisters. 

Among the qualities exhibited in early childhood 
was firmness and presence of mind. When, in 
their sports, her little brother would get hurt, 
without calling her mother, she would imme- 
diately run to the basin for water, and afterward 
to the closet for arnica. 

Thus this little girl, in her fidelity and industry, 
exhibited a mind more sensible, solid, and discreet, 
than brilliant and fascinating ; more remarkable for 
wisdom of conduct, than sprightliness of utterance. 

The ordinary faults of childhood were hers, while 
selfishness greatly predominated. Of this she was 
always painfully aware, but lived long enough to 
have h naturally selfish character transformed into 
one of such marked unselfishness, that she became 



24 EARLY CROWNED. 

pre-eminent for self-forgetfulness, and thoughtful- 
ness of others. 

When Mary reached the age of eight her parents 
moved to the neighborhood of Manhattanville, a 
few miles from the city. Here she spent three 
pleasant years. 

Here, doubtless, in the free, happy, out-of-door 
life which the children led, was laid the foundation 
of that robust and healthy development which 
characterized Mary's young womanhood, and also 
that love of nature which she ever after so strik- 
ingly evinced. In subsequent acquaintance with 
her, how often, in speaking of the delights of a 
country life, would she say, "I must tell you about 
Manhattanville." Then with glowing face and 
animated voice she would begin anew the story 
we both loved so well : of the views from her win- 
dows, of the rambles of herself and brothers in the 
woods, of their daily play on the lawn, and in the 
orchard, and generally the narration would finish 
with an account of the flower garden and her own 
labor therein. She took much pleasure during 
the first year of our school life in telling of that 
happy time, and often as she concluded the re- 
cital would say, with a sigh which showed how in- 
tense was her longing, " I do hope that pa wiD 



EARLY CROWNED. 25 

some day be able to have a nice country home of 
his own." 

Mary's tastes were quiet. To her fondness for 
sewing was added a love of reading rather unusual 
in one so young. She seemed to prefer reading, or 
listening to the conversation of older persons, to 
talking herself. Always reticent, her friends were 
spared in her society that disagreeable infliction — a 
child who engrosses every subject of conversation 
which may be broached. 

She did not begin attendance at school till 
twelve years old, at which period the family re- 
sumed their residence in the city, but received from 
a judicious and competent mother that elementary 
instruction, as well as the direction of that course 
of reading, which fitted her to enter at school into 
classes with those of the same age, or even older 
than herself. 

If from the picture drawn of the child Mary, at 
work, at play, sewing, reading, or directing the 
little brothers, at this time three in number, you 
should fancy anything extraordinary, how have I 
misled you ! A healthy, active, plain looking 
girl, not particularly interesting or graceful, only 
conscientious and obedient, this is the daughter and 
sister as I would have you know her at this timo. 



26 EAELY CROWNED. 

Her parents still directing, guiding, giving " line 
upon line, precept upon precept," " bearing all 
things, hoping all things; but doubting not His 
word, " Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he 
also reap," they sowed the seed of the word of 
God, arid she has already reaped everlasting life. 

O fainting mother, weary sister ! whoever thou 
art that readest these pages, " be not faithless but 
believing." That same Saviour who, dying, remem- 
bered his mother, will remember you, and bless 
you in your labor of love, if so be that your faith 
fail not and your works abound. 

" In the elder days of art 
Builders wrought with greatest care 

Each unseen and hidden part ; 
Eor the gods see everywhere. 

" Let us do our work as well, 

Both the unseen and the seen ; 
Make the house where God may dwell, 

Beautiful, entire, and clean." 



EARLY CROWNED. 27 



CHAPTEE in. 

BEGINNING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

Now I saw in my dream, that the highway which Christian 
was to go was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wall was 
called Salvation. Up this way therefore did burdened Christian 
run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his 
back. 

He ran thus till he came to a place somewhat ascending ; and 
upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, a sepulchre. 
So I saw in my dream that just as Christian came up with the 
cross his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off 
his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it 
came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw 
it no more. — Pilgrim's Progress. 

We have seen how, among pleasant home sur 
roundings and Christian influences, our Mary's 
child-life was spent, but none save the all-seeing 
Father can declare the many prayers, the wrest- 
lings of spirit, the faithful labor of those devoted 
parents, who, not satisfied with dedicating their 
darling to God in infancy, still made it their duty 
and pleasure to guide her feet in the way of holi- 
ness. From her birth she had been guarded from 
every pernicious example and evil influence, and she 
had grown into a quiet, industrious, obedient child 



28 EARLY CROWNED. 

The crisis in her life-history had now arrived, 
that gracious opportunity which comes to all, 
when childish things should no longer engross the 
immortal mind. Doubtless there are few at whose 
heart's inner door the Saviour has not knocked in 
early childhood ; thrice happy they who, like Mary, 
open their hearts to receive the heavenly guest ; 
they, like her, shall find his " yoke easy," and his 
" burden light." 

At the age of fourteen Mary was a member of a 
Bible-class in her father's Sabbath-school. We 
know little of the exercises of her mind on the 
subject of religion previous to this time. During 
a season of increased religious interest in the 
Church, there was also renewed zeal on the part 
of teachers in the school. At an afternoon prayer- 
meeting held in the school-room, Mary, at the 
invitation of the superintendent, rose for prayers. 
Perhaps we cannot narrate this better than by 
giving her own words, written three years later : 

"August 5, 1860. 
"Dear Louise: I suppose you will wonder 

why I should choose Sunday for writing to you. 

I thought I would write a letter different from 

any that I have ever written you, a purely religious 

one. ... I have just come from beholding one of 



EARLY CROWNED. 29 

God's beautiful sunsets. O how plainly is our 
Father manifested in his works ! The sky was so 
clear, the heavens where the sun went down were 
a rich golden, increasing in splendor as the c king 
of day' sunk lower and lower; it reminds me of 
the sun of life, when, as it gradually sets, the 
golden light and glory of heaven flood our souls. 
I would rather be a Christian in the most abject 
poverty, than a princess with ' no hope and with- 
out God in the world ! ' 

Tou asked me some time ago to relate my 
conversion. I will do so now. Three years 
ago the first of February was Sunday, and 
pa had a prayer-meeting in the school. During 
the exercises he talked very seriously to the 
scholars, and finally gave an invitation for those 
to rise for prayers who felt an inclination to do 
so. One girl rose, and to my own astonishment 
I found myself on my feet. Of course it was the 
Holy Spirit made me rise. We went forward to 
the altar for prayer, and I felt very badly, and in 
the evening I went to church and sat in one of the 
side seats. When the invitation was given for 
those to go to the altar who felt sorry for their 
sins, I hesitated ; but a dear friend who sat next 
me urged me to go, so I went. Several came and 



30 EARLY CROWNED. 

spoke to me, and toward the close of the meeting 
Mr. F., [the pastor,] Mr. L., and pa were all around 
me. I felt better, and when I came home I was on 
my knees praying for forgiveness till quite late. I 
lay down and soon my spirit grew calm. I went to 
sleep, and when I awoke the next morning I had 
a feeling of peace, and I started for school with a 
light and happy heart. So you see that I did not 
have any direct manifestation of God's forgiveness, 
but I was forgiven by degrees. Ever since then I 
have felt calm and peaceful, except at times I have 
been much depressed on account of sin." 

A further extract from a letter written to a 

yuung friend about a month after Mary first 

started on a Christian pilgrimage, will be read 

with interest : 

" March 6, 1857. 
" Dear Addie : I have experienced religion, 

and am very happy. It is indeed a blessed thing 

to be one of God's children. I hope, Addie, that 

you feel the same as I do ; if you do not, do seek 

lo become one of his children, and pray earnestly 

that you may find, for you know the Bible says, 

1 They that seek me early shall find me.' " 

Having taken this first step in the heavenly way, 
Mary immediately began to loork in her Master's 



EARLY CROWNED. 31 

vineyard, and by precejDt and example, by con- 
sistent conversation and holy living, strove daily 
to lead others to the cross of Christ. Not only 
her own relatives, but also those young friends 
whom she so much loved, were entreated, per- 
suaded, and prayed for by her. Two years after, 
in the spring of 1859, her three loved brothers, 
aged respectively fourteen, twelve, and nine years, 
were made happy in a Saviour's love, and joined 
the Church of which their dear sister had already 
been such an efficient member. 

She takes occasion at this time, in writing to 
her cousin Annie, and her friend Addie, of this 
answer to her prayers, to press the subject of per- 
sonal religion on each one of them : 

" March 14, 1859. 
" Dear AsnsiE : I want you to congratulate me. 

Charlie, Dolph, and Mason have been converted 

this winter, and I believe soundly. I think our 

family is one of the happiest on earth ; we are all 

journeying toward heaven. We live in perfect 

harmony; our health, as a general thing, is very 

good, and taking all together, we desire to be no 

happier, except it be to live in the country, (our 

love for the country is by no means diminished.) I 

hope by this time, dear cousin, you have become a 



32 EARLY CROWNED. 

new child in Christ Jesus ; if you have you are 
doubly dear to your loving cousin, Mary." 

'''March 17, 1859. 
" Dear Addie : I feel it my duty to assist ma 

as much as I can. I am the eldest of a family of 
eight children ; surely a great responsibility rests 
upon me. My brothers and sisters look to me as 
a kind of second mother. I have to be very care- 
ful of my ' walk and conversation,' that I set 
them a godly and pure example in all things. I 
am happy to say that my three brothers have 
experienced religion this winter, and have joined 
the Church. I hope, Addie, by this time you are 
a child of God. If you are not, seek till you find." 

Truly she worked while " it was called to-day." 
Young Christian, who readest this simple record 
of a life so well begun, so devoted ever after to 
the service of the Master, have you ever yet had 
the happiness of winning one soul to Christ ? " He 
that winneth souls is wise," and you know not 
how many of your young acquaintance, knowing 
of your profession of religion, are waiting and 
longing for you to speak to them of those things 
which lie heavy on their hearts. They cannot 
open their minds to you; pride keeps them back; 



EARLY CROWNED. 33 

but it is your duty to urge upon them the neces- 
sity of remembering " their Creator in the days 
of their youth." Your Master demands it, the 
Church expects it, and angels are waiting to 
rejoice over the sinner turned from the error of 
his ways through your instrumentality. The same 
Lord who has called you says, " Go, work to-day 
in my vineyard;" and if in this respect you follow 
Mary's example, great will be your reward. 

And now, seeing how this earnest young dis- 
ciple labored with a zeal and love, ah ! too often 
wanting in many an older one, we can but notice 
how well she began to repay the love, the watch- 
care, and the prayers of her parents. It was on 
becoming a Christian that she awoke to a higher 
sense of her responsibility as the eldest daughter 
and sister ; and never after did that feeling leave 
her, that she must watch over herself and the 
younger members of the family as one who " must 
give account ;" that in all things she must be a pat- 
tern to them. Now she beo-an to realize that 



" We need not bid, for cloistered cell, 
Our neighbors and our friends farewell ; 
The trivial round, the common task, 
Will furnish all we ought to ask — 
Room to deny ourselves — a road 
To bring us daily nearer God." 
3 



34 EARLY CROWNED. 

J cannot forbear in this connection copying, as 
very appropriate, from an album given me when a 
child, a pen-and-ink sketch of which I have always 
thought Mary was the original : 

"THE ELDEST DAUGHTER. 

" She forms the connecting link which binds to- 
gether both parts of the family circle — the parental 
and filial. Between the offended parent and the 
guilty but repentant child, she becomes the medi- 
ator ; and oft, by her sisterly importunings, does 
offended authority find excuse for withholding the 
exercise of its power. She is the oracle of all the 
little troop, her sayings and doings forming in 
their estimate the measure of duty. How doth 
her gentleness smooth the roughness of her romp- 
ing brothers, and distill the spirit of submission 
into their willful hearts ! How do her example 
and discreet words exalt and strengthen those 
gleeful sisters, who lay at her feet the praise or 
blame of their conduct ! If to her natural amia- 
bility be added the sweet influence of a Christian 
character, then indeed may she become the wise 
exemplar to her brothers and sisters, and a prin- 
cipal reliance to her parents in guiding the family 
group to heaven ! " 



EAELY CROWNED. 35 

Besides laboring for the good of others in the 
family and social circle, she, when but sixteen 
years old, took charge of a class of little boys in 
the Sabbath-school. On assuming the responsi- 
bilities of that position, she resolved to be an 
exemplary teacher. Always punctual, always spir- 
itual, with lessons always prepared, she seemed 
fully determined to improve the time. From a 
journal which she began at this period, we can 
obtain a glimpse ci her inner life, truly " hid with 
Christ in God." 

" Jan. 7, 1 860, —The first week in the new year is 
fast drawing to a close, and soon we'll sing c another 
six days' work is done, another Sabbath is begun.' 
I have never kept a diary previous to this present 
time, but I resolved to keep a record of my feel- 
ings, experiences, etc., at the beginning of this 
year. New-Year's day came on Sunday. I did 
not commence this diary then, and have put it off 
until the present time. I am the oldest child of a 
large family, and I feel that a great responsibility 
rests on me ; am I adequate for the task ? Of my- 
self I am nothing, but through Him who loved me 
I shall be able to perform it. My brothers and 
sisters look up to me, and how careful I ought to 
be of my examp^. O that I could lead such a 



36 EARLY CROWNED. 

life as would be productive of good here on earth, 
and win for me a crown of life ! I was about four- 
teen when the Lord had mercy upon me ; he took 
a wandering lamb and brought it safe within the 
fold. Would that it might always stay there ! 

" It is now Saturday night, the close of the first 
week of the new year. I wonder if I have lived 
any more like a Christian should live than I did 
the week before. I come far short of my duty; 
I know that I have not lived as I should. I have 
set out this year with the determination to live a 
more holy and acceptable life before God, but I 
cannot do this of myself. He hath said, 'My 
grace is sufficient for thee.' Blessed assurance ! I 
feel that I shall be able to live more like Christ. O 
holy Father, aid me ! Thou knowest my weak- 
ness. Thou knowest my frame, and rememberest 
that I am but dust. O give me strength and 
grace to overcome temptation ! When temptation 
assails me, I am so ready to yield ; but remembering 
the promise that thou art a very present help in 
times of need, I shall be able to overcome. O 
Lord, how exceeding great are all my blessings ! 
Thou dost shower thy mercies with a liberal hand 
upon me. How undeserving I am of even the least 
of them. What an ungrateful wretch I am ? and 



EARLY CROWNED. 37 

yet thou dost bear with me. i Slow to anger and 
plenteous in mercy ' art thou. 4 What shall I 
render unto the Lord for all his goodness to me ? 
I will take the cup of salvation and call upon his 
holy name.' O my God, help me this year to 
live just as I should, like a true Christian. Help me 
to be more like my blessed Master, to live more 
and more like him. Help me to love thee more, 
and serve thee better ; to glorify thy holy name in 
all that I do and say ; and may my example be such 
a one, that others seeing it may follow me as I 
follow Christ. O my precious Saviour, how I love 
thee! how infinite is thy love for* me ! When I 
think of thee sitting at the right hand of the 
Father, and pleading for me, can it be possible that 
thou doest this for me ? Yet I know that it is so. 
When I think thus of thee I scarcely know where to 
put my head. I feel to-night that I could be a 
great deal better than I am. I trust God smiles 
upon me, and lifts upon me the light of his coun- 
tenance. I have never yet been fully satisfied of 
my acceptance with God, yet I have a humble 
hope that God has graciously pardoned all my sins. 
" Another thing that I intend to do this year is 
to read my Bible, study it more, and follow its 
blessed precepts. I must close for to-night. 



33 EARLY CROWNED. 

"Monday, Jan. 9. Yesterday I went to Sunday- 
school twice, but did not attend public worship on 
account of circumstances at home. I am a Sun- 
day-school teacher, and have under my charge 
eight little boys to train for heaven. I have not 
had a class long, only a few months. My scholars 
are very restless, full of fun and mischief. I some- 
times almost get discouraged, but the thought that 
perhaps if I give up this class some of the little 
ones will be lost, spurs me on. I need thine aid, O 
Father, in training these immortal souls ! My lit- 
tle ones love me, and I love them. I have been 
trying by God*S help to do my duty, and I think 
that I succeeded pretty well yesterday. I passed a 
very comfortable day. How pleasant it is to 
c dwell in the courts of the Lord's house.' ' I 
would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my 
God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness ; ' thus 
saith the sweet singer of Israel, to which my heart 
responds amen. 

" To-day I went to school, passed my time there 
very pleasantly and I trust profitably. I worked 
out a sum in Algebra, which gave me a clear con- 
ception of a principle that I had not known before. 
I always feel so glad when I come out victor over 
a sum. 



EAKLY CROWNED. 89 

" I have passed a peaceful day ; nothing very 
remarkable has occurred. One of my greatest 
troubles is secret sin. I can say with David, 
' Search me, O God, and see whether there be any 
evil way in me.' c Cleanse thou me from secret 
faults.' O ! can I ever be a perfect character, 
and live without sin ? It is so hard to do what 
is right and well-pleasing in the sight of God. O 
Lord, keep me under the shadow of thy wing 
this night ! 

" Saturday, Jan. 14. — It is some nights since I 
have written in you, dear journal, and during that 
time many circumstances have occurred. I have a 
great taste for reading, and when once interested in 
a book I let other duties go for the sake of reading. 
Thursday afternoon I was reading a book called 
the l Pillar of Fire,' and was so interested that I 
neglected my duties ; the consequence was con- 
demnation. O when can I ever learn to do well ! 
On Friday I went to school, and in the afternoon 
attended class-meeting. Our class is composed of 
young folks out of the Sunday-school. It originally 
consisted of a few girls from twelve to fourteen 
years of age. This little band was like leaven, 
leavening the whole lump. God graciously visited 
our school, and added large numbers to our class, 



40 EAELY CROWNED. 

so that we numbered about seventy-five. We used 
to have delightful meetings, and God indeed re- 
membered his lambs. After a season it was found 
necessary to divide the class, and one part met on 
Sunday and the other on Friday. I belong to the 
latter division. Pa is the leader of the class, but 
not being able to attend to-day, Mr. L. led in his 
stead. What an excellent leader he is ! I was 
very much impressed with one remark that he 
made. 'Always say what you mean, and mean 
what you say.' I think that it is an excellent 
motto, and with divine aid I will try and practice 
it. While in class I felt very much dissatisfied 
with myself. I was thinking about myself when 
these words were sung : 

1 This all my hope and all my plea, 
For me the Saviour died.' 

Yes, thought I, ' for me the Saviour died,' and the 
tears came rushing to my eyes, and I felt indeed 
that this was my only plea. And O what com- 
fort it gives me ! of myself I am nothing, but the 
Saviour came down to earth, and suffered death 
for every man. c God so loved the world that he 
gave his only begotten Son, that wBbsoever believ 
eth on him should not perish, but have everlasting 
life.' O Lord, on this Saturday night, bless me. 



EAELY CROWNED. 41 

Remove the stains of sin from my heart. 1 want 
not only the sin, but its stain washed away. 

1 My crimes are great, but don't surpass 
The power and glory of thy grace.' 

c Come now and let us reason together, saith the 
Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be 
white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, 
they shall be as wool.' O blessed promise ! Blessed 
be thy name ! though my sins be as scarlet they 
shall be white as snow. Heavenly Father, give 
me grace to go through with my duties to-morrow, 
and grant that some w r ord may fill from my lips 
which shall produce abundant fruit. 

"Sunday Evening, Jan. 15. — This morning I 
went to Sunday-school, and I think that I fulfilled 
my duties as a teacher faithfully. My class was 
not as full as usual, probably owing to the bad 
walking. I think there is quite an improvement 
in the conduct of my boys. They seem to take 
more interest in the lessons, and obey me better. 
I do not let them read out of the Bible for their 
regular lesson, but I have a book given me by dear 
Aunt Emeline, called 'Line upon Line.' It is a 
most excellent little work ; it gives an account of 
the creation, the history of Joseph, - Moses, etc, 
and the story is more connected than in the Bible. 



42 EARLY CROWNED. 

The boys seem to take quite an interest in it. I 
read about Rahab and the spies to-day, and they 
seemed quite attentive, at least some of them. 
They have catechism lessons also. 

" To-day is the eleventh anniversary of the dedi- 
cation of our church, and several of the former 
pastors were present. Mr. F. preached this morn- 
ing ; his theme was the ' Vine and its branches.' 
He described the vine and its branches, some bear- 
ing fruit and some withered. Some branches bear 
more conspicuous fruit than others. While the 
fruit on the outside of the vine showed very 
plainly, yet that underneath, in the shade, was just 
as luscious and good as the m^re conspicuous. 

"While ministers and official men were more 
conspicuous, some poor member of the Church 
bore just as much fruit to the glory of God. He 
said also that the great Vine-dresser thought it 
necessary to prune the branches, and while he 
reluctantly made them bleed, yet it wa» for their 
good, and that they might bring forth fruit more 
abundantly." 

Mary always had doubts about the expediency 
of keeping a journal as a record of personal expe- 
rience, so she discontinued it, but she wrote much 



EARLY CROWNED. 4b 

to her young friends, as well as to her relatives at 
a distance. She was an indefatigable correspond- 
ent, seeming to take much delight in sharing her 
pleasure with her friends in this manner, as well 
as sympathizing with them in their griefs. From 
a letter written in August, 1860, about six months 
after she discontinued her journal, we read the 
following : 

" My heavenly Father knows that I love him, 
and that I want to do all I can for his cause. But 
it is such a cross for me to speak in public. Pa 
has a meeting in a schoolhouse near by, and I am 
so afraid he will ask us to speak that it worries 
me. I pray for strength that I may confess Him 
whom I love, but it must be that I do not pray in 
faith. Is it not strange that we will sin when we 
know that we are losing our happiness here and 
hereafter by so doing ? O that the ' great and 
notable day of the Lord would come,' when ' all 
the earth shall know him, from the least to the 
greatest !'" 

It was in the autumn of 1860 that Mary was 
transferred in the Sabbath-school from her class 
of boys, to take charge of one of girls about twelve 
years old. My own class was seated directly 
behind hers, and I remember well the appearance 



44 EARLY CROWNED. 

of those youthful heads all clustered together, 
while the eloquent face of the teacher, and the 
interested looks and tearful eyes of the scholars, 
plainly told that the low tones of Mary's voice 
were pleading with them, by every sacred consid- 
eration, to devote themselves in their youth to their 
Saviour's service. 

Feeling so deeply the burden of souls, she visited 
each at home, relieving those found in destitute 
circumstances, and endeavoring to interest the 
other members of their families in religious things. 
Not considering her duty done when she had 
taught them, and relieved their temporal neces- 
sities, their seperate cases were carried in prayer 
to a throne of grace. She exhorted them individ- 
ually in the Sunday-school class, sat with .them in the 
evening meetings, accompanied them to the altar 
for prayer, till nearly all of them were converted, 
and became consistent members of the Church. 

Resuming after so long a time the entries in her 
journal, she writes thus of her labors in Sunday- 
school : 

"I sometimes think that I accomplish little or 
no good ; but I feel that I have done something 
this winter. Five of my beloved scholars have 
been hopefully converted to God. I have but one 



EARLY CROWNED. 45 

scholar now who is not a Christian. O ! thanks be 
unto God who hath wrought marvelous works in 
our midst." 

These scholars ever retained their love and grat- 
itude to their faithful teacher for her instructions 
and prayers in their behalf. May they all meet her 
in heaven ! 

Another extract from her journal will show how, 
though her labors were so abundantly blessed, she 
still was as V a little child " before her heavenly 
Father. 

" Sunday, May 12, 1861.— It is a lovely Sabbath 
afternoon. The air is mild and balmy; all is quiet 
around me, and my own heart is full of praise 
and thanksgiving to my Father. I was permitted 
to partake of the sacred emblems of my Saviour's 
precious body and blood this afternoon. I can 
hardly pen my thoughts and feelings. 

* Alas, and did my Saviour bleed ? 

And did my Sovereign die ? 
Would he devote that sacred head 

Eor such a worm as I ? ' 

Thou wast bruised for my transgressions, and 
wounded for my iniquities. Thou didst suffer 
everything for me. O my Saviour, can I ever find 



46 EARLY CROWNED. 

language to thank thee ! Grant me thine aid to 
glorify thy holy name by my life. I am so un- 
worthy of the least of thy mercies. My soul 
is sometimes so overwhelmed with a sense 
of my own unworthiness, that I am almost dis- 
couraged ; I am ready to sink. The ; horrors of 
hell ' get hold of me ; the sins of my life rise up 
against me, and present such an array that I am 
confounded. But ! why art thou cast down, O 
my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me ? 
Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him who 
is the light of my countenance.' 

"My soul trusts in the Lord this afternoon. I am 
deeply sensible of my ingratitude, my unworthiness ; 
but still in the midst of all this I can exclaim, i The 
blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all unright- 
eousness ! ' Thanks be unto God who giveth us the 
victory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

"My greatest troubles are my secret sins. O 
how deeply do I deplore my wicked passions ! All 
is not yet subject to the law of Christ. May 
patience have her perfect work in my heart, so that 
I may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. My 
first impulse, when anything crosses my will, is to 
take some revenge : for instance, if one of my 
brothers, or sisters, or parents, cross or vex me, I 



EARLY CROWNED. 47 

want to strike, or vent my feelings in some wicked 
way. O how I have to struggle against my nat- 
ural feelings, how much of grace it requires to 
overcome ! Alas ! too often do I yield ; but, by the 
grace of God, I am determined to overcome and 
overcome, until I conquer fully and wholly every 
evil passion." 

With two more letters, every line of which is 
full of her love to God and her friend, we must 
close this chapter of Mary's early religious life. 

" June 5, 1861. 

" My Dear Friexd : I should feel far better 
pleased if you were numbered among the c house- 
hold of faith.' It is dreadful to think that 
you are an enemy of your Saviour ; why don't 
you seek him ? You are old enough to feel your 
need of him, for you have said so. He is far more 
willing to receive you than you are to go to him. 
He has left some most precious promises for those 
who are willing to forsake their sins and turn unto 
him. He says, ' Though your sins be as scarlet, 
they shall be as wool.' If you were numbered 
among the children of God, you would feel such a 
sensation of security, and then you would feel so 
strengthened for the performance of your duties, 



48 EARLY CROWNED. 

and you would have aid to govern and control 
your temper. Of yourself you can do nothing, 
but through Christ you can do all things. It is 
not necessary that you should go up to the altar 
in the church, in order to become a Christian ; you 
can just as well feel God's presence in your closet 
as in any public place. Now, dear friend, do seek 
the Saviour. He will fully and freely pardon your 
manifold sins, if you but seek him with your whole 
heart; go and throw yourself at his feet, and con- 
fess all your sins. After having confessed them, 
then forsake them never to return to them again. 
Try, Addie, and may God in mercy bless you and 
keep you safe beneath the shadow of his wings. 
Let the language of your heart be, 

4 Jesus, lover of my soul, 
Let me to thy bosom fly. 7 

" If you are in doubt upon any point, write and 
freely tell me, and I will try to help you the best 
that I can." 

"July 24, 1861. 

" Dear Friend : ... It is wonderful how the 
grace of God can sustain a Christian in his dying 
hours. ... In speaking of your feelings you say 
that you feel that you { are a great sinner, the chief 



EAELY CROWNED. 49 

among a thousand, but you have not the power to 
become one of God's children.' Xow here you 
are in error ; of your own self you are incapable of 
doing anything ; but, through Christ strengthening 
you, you can do all things. You certainly have a 
desire to become a child of God. Have you not 
the will to become a Christian ? And why not give 
up your will to his and say 

4 Here, Lord, I give myself away, 
>Tis all that I can do ! ' 

4 This all my hope and all my plea,* 
For me the Saviour died. 

1 1 the chief of sinners am, 
But Jesus died for me." 

" 0, Addie, give yourself up to the Lord ; he is 
so full of mercy and goodness, and he yearns to 
fold you to his bosom. Angels watch the struggle 
that is going on in your heart, with trembling, and 
O ! why will you not let the right prevail ? And 
with what joy would the angels tune their harps 
and sing praises to God over another repentant 
sinner! I would I could make you one of the 
Lamb's chosen ones ; but I can only counsel and 
pray for you ; it all rests with yourself. God grant 
that you may do right. Once more I beg of you, 
give up your heart, will, and everything to God, 



50 



EARLY CROWNED. 



and O ! beware how you grieve the Holy Spirit by 
continually hardening your heart against his Messed 
influence. You know that the unpardonable sin is 
to steel your heart against the Holy Spirit, till, 
finally, grieved and saddened, he leaves you never 
to return. 

" O come to Christ ! 4 The Spirit and the bride 
say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. 
And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever 
will, let him take the water of life freely. 5 " 



EAELY CROWNED. 51 



CHAPTER IV. 

AT SCHOOL. 

Maiden ! with the meek, brown eyes, 
In whose orbs a shadow lies, 
Like the dusk in evening skies ! 

Standing with reluctant feet, 
Where the brook and river meet, 
Womanhood and childhood fleet ! 

O thou child of many prayers ! 

Life hath quicksands, life hath snares ; 

Care and age come unawares ! — Longfellow. 

We have thus far taken a glimpse of Mary's life 
as of one forgetting not " to do good and to com- 
municate;" we have now the pleasant task of 
watching her student life, as she received instruc- 
tion from those who first loved and then admired 
her. 

Her school life proper began in 1857, at the 
Van Norman Institute, where she remained four 
years. Here she soon gained the esteem of both 
teachers and schoolmates, by her conscientious 
attention to study, and kindness to any who 
seemed in difficulty. Her instructors all speak of 



'52 EARL* CROWNED. 

her in terms of highest praise; not so ouch for 
the brilliancy of her performances, as for the pains 
bestowed on all her studies. The principal of 
the school, Dr. Van Norman, has thus written his 
estimate of her character as a young Christian at 
school : 

" Mary having, before commencing her studies 
with me, chosen the Rock of Ages for the founda- 
tion of her spiritual character, was thus prepared 
to lay deep and strong the foundation of her intel- 
lectual life. She had taken Christ for her portion ; 
and in the Cross she had found both an argument 
to show the vanity of the world, and a power to 
overcome and displace it. In Christ she found 
abundant resources for every trial and emergency 
of her school life. 

" She commenced with an earnest plan of life, a 
plan having in it a principle, aim, and method, and 
most successful was she in carrying out her plan, 
because she took it to the foot of the Cross, and 
sheltered her weakness under the strength of the 
Omnipotent. 

" Hers was not the imitative study of attitudes 
and graces, but an earnest search for truth, and 
the springs of a pure and beautiful life. Her entire 
school life was a practical answer to Schiller's in- 



EARLY CROWNED. 53 

quiry, as well as an illustration of the truth he 

taught : 

4 Doth, the harmony 

In the sweet lute-strings, belong 

To the purchaser who, dull of ear, doth keep 

The instrument? True, she hath bought the right 

To strike it into fragments ; but no art 

To wake its silvery tones, and melt with bliss 

Of thrilling song ! Truth for the wise exists, 

And beauty for the feeling heart.' 

"In scholarship Mary was thorough. Never sat- 
isfied with a superficial knowledge of any subject 
in the course of her studies, she patiently and per- 
severingly grappled with difficulties till they were 
overcome. Thus her intellectual growth was steady 
and vigorous. It was a daily joy to meet her in 
the class-room ; for she manifestly had a high and 
dignified purpose in her school life. She needed no 
paltry motives to laborious application ; love to 
God and parents was in her heart a perpetual foun- 
tain of pure, lofty, and effective inspiration. 

" As might be anticipated from this character of 
mind, Mary was remarkably, I may say, for one of 
her age, peculiarly thoughtful and circurnsjject 
in her conversation. With this characteristic so 
strikingly prominent, all her teachers were esjDe- 
cially impressed. One of them, who had speut 
many years in schools for young ladies, once said 



54 EARLY CROWNED. 

to the principal, 4 Miss N". is the most exemplary 
girl in conversation I ever knew. I have observed 
that in the recesses she never engages in the 
ordinary gossip of her companions, but is always 
either studying, or talking on some profitable 
subject.' 

" I believe that during the whole period of Mary's 
connection with my school, she was not known to 
speak one word of aspersion or detraction. On 
the contrary, it was remarked by all that she was 
ever ready with the mantle of charity to cover the 
faults of others. c In her tongue was the law of 
kindness.' She was thoroughly imbued with the 
spirit of Christ, as wrought out and exemplified in 
the character and life of the excellent Caroline 
Fry, who, in giving counsel on this subject, said, 
c Consider the dangers, the sorrows that lie in the 
path of all to their eternal home, the secret pangs, 
the untold agonies, the hidden wrongs. Thus the 
heart will grow soft with pity toward our kind. 
How can I tell what that censured person suffers ? 
That fault will cost dear enough without my aid. 
So you will fear by a harsh word to add to that 
which is too much already, as you would shrink 
from putting your finger into a fresh wound.' 

" Another strongly marked and impressive trait 



EARLY CROWNED. 55 

in Mary's character, as developed in school, was a 
conscientious adherence to her convictions of right 
and duty. This indeed was the foundation as well 
as the crowning glory of her singularly pure and 
excellent life. Never did she in questions of duty 
1 confer with flesh and blood.' Her only inquiry 
was, 4 What is the will of God ? ' A conflict 
seemed to her sometimes to arise between the 
claims of home and the demands of school. Often 
did she in these controversies, carried on in her 
own mind, confer with the principal, when, with 
the overflowing love of a daughter and sister, she 
would inquire, ' Is not the sacrifice made by my 
dear parents for my education too great ? Mother 
is not in good health, and I feel that she needs all 
my time and energies at home.' From these con- 
flicts she always came forth nerved with a stronger 
purpose to turn to the most effective account all 
her moments and opportunities at school. 

" She deeply felt the responsibility involved in 
her relation to the home circle as the first-born, 
the eldest sister, and she longed for the coming 
time when, with suitable preparation, she could 
devote herself to the work of aiding her parents in 
the care and right education of her brothers and 
sisters. A spectacle for the admiration of angeb 



56 EARLY CROWNED. 

were the filial and sisterly affections and sentiments 
of this young Christian as manifested in her school 
life. 

" Nor would the portraiture of Mary's character 
as pupil be complete without reference to other 
qualities, which, in striking contrast with the affect- 
ation, prudery, and coquetry so prevalent in our 
day, invested her with a peculiar charm. 

" Simplicity, sincerity, purity formed for her a 
triple robe of rare loveliness, and secured for her 
the most solid and valuable friendship. All who 
knew her well, agree that she possessed these vir- 
tues in a very eminent degree. To her pure mind, 
all things save sin were pure. This purity of 
character led her naturally and easily along the 
straight and even path of guileless sincerity, upon 
which ever rests the sunlight of heaven. 

" Such was Mary at school ; and sucn are the 
precious memories of her school life — memories 
which, like angel voices, shallpour melody all along 
life's pilgrimage quite to the gate of heaven, then 
mingle with the joys, and swell the songs of 
Paradise." 

As a fitting accompaniment to this affectionate 
tribute of our beloved teacher, perhaps I cannot 
do better than to insert hefe a few lines written, 



EARLY CROWNED. 57 

since our beloved one left us, by a school friend, 
whose acquaintance, there begun, soon ripened into 
enduring friendship. Augusta writes : 

" My two years' friendship with Mary at school 
seems very short to look back upon now, with the 
thought that it can never be renewed ; it was long- 
enough to make me respect and love her. Her 
peaceful, happy death was a fitting end to her con- 
sistently beautiful life. She seemed to me when 
we were at Dr. V. NVs the most really religious 
girl there. Her aim in life was at once the sim- 
plest and the highest, to be good, to 4 redeem the 
time,' with an eye single, and a purity of heart I 
have never seen excelled." 

My own recollections of that happy school-girl 
time are indelibly associated with Mary. First 
made acquainted through Church membership and 
mutual Sabbath-school interest, (though our parents 
had been friends long before;) our situations at 
home as eldest daughters so similar, our ages and 
tastes so much alike ; in the intimacies of daily 
school life so closely knit together; our homes so 
near that the long walk to and from school was 
always taken in each other's company, and our 
classes and studies so generally the same that all 
our interests were common. How we enjoyed 



58 EAKLY CROWNED. 

those walks, and the long time for conversation 
which they afforded ! The first topic would very 
naturally be the preparation of the day's studies, 
and an argument perhaps on some subject or 
opinion advanced or asserted by a particular author. 
From this starting point we generally wandered to 
things possible and impossible, more than any one 
except school girls had ever dreamed of. Mary's 
conversation was always free from those two topics, 
alas ! so common to young ladies, " dress ' ' and 
" other folks." I remember at our first acquaint- 
ance with what admiration I regarded this trait in 
her character, deepening as I discovered it to be a 
fixed principle to have her conversation " profit- 
able." One instance in particular I now recall. 
Our attention was attracted one fine morning in 
early spring to an unusually bright display in a 
store window which we were passing.. I said, 
" Mary, do you think much about your change of 
dress as the seasons come round?" And with a 
simplicity and naivete peculiarly her own, she re- 
plied, " O yes, I think about it a good deal, but it 
is not worth while to talk about it any more than 
you can help, is it ? " She would frequently in our 
conversations say how much greater were our ad- 
vantages than those our parents had enjoyed, and 



EARLY CROWNED. 59 

that the only way in which daughters could repay 
the toil and care they cost father and mother was 
by being so diligent and industrious as to show 
that their kindness was appreciated. Then our 
talk would sometimes glide into other channels of 
efforts to do right and conquer the sin within us ; 
Mary always speaking with much humility of her 
own short-comings and feeble endeavors to do 
good. 

I have somewhere read a passage like this: 
" As the great apostle Paul grew in grace he be- 
came more humble; when his heart was first 
melted by the grace of God, and filled with holy 
love and zeal, he said, 'I am not worthy to be 
called an apostle ;' when his labors had been abund- 
ant, and his sufferings for the cause of Christ 
severe, he called himself 'the least of all saints;' 
and after he had e fought a good fight and kept the 
faith,' he styles himself the ' chief of sinners.' " 

Such seemed, to all who knew her, to be Mary's 
estimate of her own character. Never having a 
high opinion of herself, or her own attainments or 
usefulness, she daily grew less self-confident and 
more humble, and on her dying bed, receiving a 
letter from a friend who thanked her for the good 
she had done, Mary raising herself s^id, "What 



60 EARLY CROWNED. 

good have I done her, mother ? She has always 
been good to me, and I have done so little for any- 
body." O Mary, friend, thine unconscious influence 
for God and holiness is not the least of the good 
thou hast done ! Looking back upon those happy 
days I cannot but feel that 

" The head which, like a staff, was one 
For mine to lean and rest upon ; 
The strongest on the longest day, 
With steadfast love, is caught away : 
And yet my days go on, go on." 

How vivid to my mind's eye seems now the 
picture of that happy-faced, blooming girl, as, 
flushed and animated with exercise, she entered 
the " study-hall," receiving and returning the smil- 
ing salutations of her schoolmates with a kindness 
Deculiarly her own. But from the moment that 
the first name of the roll-call was heard as the sig- 
nal for the opening of school, no face was more 
earnest, no attitude more attentive than hers. 
From the reading of the scriptures and prayer, 
with which the daily duties begun, to the closing 
French recitation, her whole mind was engrossed 
with one thought — to improve the advantages with 
which she was blessed, and do her duty " as to the 
Lord and not to men." 

As a model of an earnest Christian school-girl, 



EARLY CROWNED. 61 

I have never seen her surpassed. None of her 
teachers or classmates would have thought of call- 
ing her mind extraordinarily brilliant; but as a 
conscientious student, and a seeker of truth for its 
own sake, all began by admiring, and ended by 
loving her. 

With much satisfaction did Mary enter upon 
her last year at school, anticipating with pleasure 
the advanced studies which she would pursue, and 
the enjoyment to be taken in her music and French, 
yet almost sorry that her girl life was passing, and 
womanhood about to begin. 

The future, however, so wisely hidden from 
view, had strange things in store for her. The 
first shot at -Sumter, which commenced the civil 
war, and effected revolutions greater or less in 
every private as well as public circle, destroyed 
her father's business. The accumulation of years 
was locked up, as it were, in a day. Mary's knowl- 
edge of family affairs thus far had been #f pros- 
perity only, the time of toant she had never known. 
Her experiences began with family comfort, and till 
almost eighteen years of age everything affecting* 
her education, convenience, and pleasure had been 
fully provided. But the period had arrived when 
she was to taste adversity. In the spring of 1861, 



62 EAELY CROWNED. 

in the midst of her studies and plans, and when, 
like every thoughtful earnest young heart, she was 
anxiously wondering what the end of these strange 
things would be, she was surprised at being told 
how nearly it would affect her. She had felt and 
said, " We cannot give our fathers, our brothers are 
not old enough, let us give our little influence and 
our prayers on the side of the right and the true ; " 
but she did not for a moment think the struggle 
would otherwise affect her till, being wholly taken 
into her parents' counsel, it was said to her, 
" Daughter, if there is war declared between the 
South and the North father will lose all." The 
event proved this prediction but too true, and a 
new life opened upon Mary, a difficult and toil- 
some one, but whose effects were ever after visible 
in the development of her character. 

As soon as the issue became known retrench- 
ment began; the children were taken from ex- 
pensive schools, music lessons ceased, and ordinary 
expenditures were curtailed; servants were re- 
duced in number, the city house was rented, and 
the family removed to the cottage in the country. 

It would be unnecessary to say that Mary re- 
gretted leaving school in this unexpected manner ; 
but how much of a deprivation she felt it to be, 



EARLY CROWNED. 68 

few knew at the time. She had looked forward 
with so much pleasure to completing her course of 
study under the tuition of her friend and teacher, 
Dr. Van Norman, that it was a great sacrifice to 
be called upon thus suddenly to give up those 
fondly cherished hopes. But the hand of Provi- 
dence seemed to indicate, " thus far shalt thou go 
and no further;" her parents asked of her to deny 
herself, and unhesitatingly did she relinquish her 
own wishes, and cheerfully prepared for the change 
in her circumstances. 



64 EA.RLY CROWNED. 



CHAPTER V. 

IN ADVERSITY. 

" If loving hearts were never lonely, 
If all they wished might always be, 

Accepting what they looked for only, 
They might be glad, but not in Thee. 

" We need as much the cross we bear, 
As air we breathe, as light we see ; 

It draws us to Thy side in prayer, 
It binds us to our strength in Thee." 

When settled at Scarborough the family looked 
inward to measure more than ever its own resources 
for amusement and profit ; and a family school was 
established, with Mary for teacher. No daughter 
could have acted her part with more fidelity and 
cheerfulness. She was the life of the family: 
teaching her brothers and sisters, and sewing for 
them as well as for herself; joinmg in the sports of 
the boys, and the pastimes of the little children; 
she met her privations, and conformed to the altered 
surroundings of the family, with a cheerfulness that 
added new joy to every pleasure. 

But these straitened circumstances were, to 



EAKLY CROWNED. 65 

Mary's mind, much alleviated by two or three ex- 
tenuating ones, which she delighted to enumerate : 
placing first the happiness of having the family 
circle remain intact, while so many homes and fire- 
sides were saddened by the absence of loved ones, 
called to the camp-fire and the battle-field. Then 
they were in the country, not for a summer's short 
sojourn, but for a year, to watch the changing 
seasons with the sunshine and shadow of each, to 
thoroughly enjoy Nature in all her moods, and to 
drink in the beauty around them. 

During the summer Mary endeavored to carry 
out a plan for study, pursuing her Latin and 
French with her eldest brother, and keeping up 
her music by constant practice with the boys and 
lessons on the piano to them, and continuing a 
judicious course of reading under the direction of 
her parents. To fulfill this plan, together with her 
duties to the family, her correspondence, and the 
visits of a few friends, fully occupied her time. 
But while thus becoming acquainted with house- 
hold duties, and cultivating her intellect, she did 
not neglect her spiritual life, but was more than 
ever a " living epistle, known and read of all " that 
she had been with Jesus and learned of him. 
Truly she had learned both how to abound and to 



66 EARLY CROWNED. 

be in need, and found godliness profitable to all 
things. 

A letter written during that summer time will 
tell its own story : 

Soaeboeough, July 11. 

" Dear Cousin Annie : The 5th of this month 
was grandma's seventieth birthday. God has cer- 
tainly spared her to a good long life. O Annie, if 
I can only accomplish half as much good as she 
has performed in her lifetime, I was going to say 
I would be satisfied; but, no, I would press on, 
striving, through God's aid, to attain that high 
standard of pure and undefiled religion which is 
to visit the widow and the fatherless, and to keep 
myself unspotted from the world. . . . 

"Well, what do you think of the times in 
which we live ? Truly, never was their like before 
in the world's history, and probably never will be 
again. God grant that the right may prevail! 
Don't it seem dreadful that our native land is 
plunged into the midst of civil war ? O ! wlien 
will all war come to an end ? I fear not until the 
Prince of Peace reigns supreme, 'from the rising 
of the sun to the going down of the same.' Have 
you seen the comet out your way ? Is it not grand ? 



early crowned. 67 

To-night is most glorious ; the west is still slightly 
tinged with orange and yellow, the last reflection 
of the sun's departing rays; the moon is almost 
full, and shines with the brilliancy of a calcium 
light ; the stars in their courses are shining steadily 
in the dark blue heavens. Truly 4 the heavens de- 
clare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth 
his handiwork ; day unto day utter eth speech, and 
night unto night showeth knowledge.' 

" Your affectionate cousin, " Mary." 

The beautiful summer and the gorgeous autumn 
passed happily indeed to the home circle in the 
cottage, and the winter came in almost unawares. 
But it would be impossible for us to suppose that 
so different a prospect of spending the cheerless 
winter days and long quiet evenings awakened no 
regrets among the older members of the family, as 
they thought of the advantages of their whilom 
city life. It was only natural that visits of friends, 
the social and religious meetings of the Church, 
and the opportunities for mental culture from which 
they were now debarred, should be regretted, and 
the need of them sometimes keenly felt. 

But in striving to make her duty a pleasure, and 
to bear her parents' burdens, the loving daughter 



68 EARLY CROWNED. 

found the reward of an approving conscience, and 
increased love and esteem on the part of all. 
When the daily round of duties was done, the 
evening was devoted to music and amusement with 
the little ones ; and when they were dismissed for 
the night, reading, writing, and literary conversa- 
tion gave occupation to the elder members of the 
family. 

To those friends who were privileged to share, 
during this winter, in the hospitalities of the cot- 
tage, my words will not be needed to recall the 
cheerful home picture of those pleasant winter 
evenings ; when the careworn father, forgetting his 
anticipations of the morrow, and the weary mother 
satisfied with seeing her loved ones happy, enjoyed 
what was facetiously called "the family band," as 
Mary at the piano, accompanied by her brothers, 
with flute and violins, repeated the inspiriting 
strains that pa so much loved, or ended the con- 
cert with " Rest for the Weary," and " Heaven is 
my Home." 

It was during one of these sociable evenings that 
the watchful daughter discovered on her father's 
brow signs of unwonted anxiety and care ; in vain 
she strove to cheer his heart and make him forget 
his troubles ; the load seemed almost too heavy for 



EABLY CROWDED. 69 

him to bear. With a loving embrace and tender 
good-night kisses Mary retired to her own room, 
but not to sleep. Xo ; first to cast all her care on 
her heavenly Father, and then, praying for wisdom 
to direct her, she seated herself at her desk to in- 
dite a letter, which she handed to her father in the 
morning, just as he left home for the city. The 
tears come to my eyes now as I read these loving 
lines, and think that she who penned them can 
never so counsel or console us again. 

u Mo]st)at Evening, JVbv. 24. 
" My beloved Father : You will look with sur- 
prise at this superscription, but my heart is full and 
I must write. My thoughts and affections at pres- 
ent are centered upon one idol ; O, father, can you 
not guess ? 'Tis upon him who is my life and light 
— upon you. This morning, when I read despairing 
looks upon your face, my heart bled for you; it is 
only in such cases and at such times that I find 
how closely every thread of my existence is tangled 
in an inextricable knot with yours. I have just been 
pleading with our common Father to have mercy 
upon you in this trying moment, and I feel, I "know 
that he will. God is good; who can doubt his 
willingness to save to the uttermost ? The blessed 



70 EARLY CROWNED. 

words of the Psalmist occur to me at this moment, 
' God is our refuge and strength; a very present 
help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear though 
the earth be removed, and though the mountains 
be carried into the midst of the sea. 5 What a sub- 
lime faith is pictured by these words, and cannot, 
do not yoxx feel it? 

" The many vexations and cares that hourly 
harass your spirit are but filters through which 
your soul is purified for heaven. 

" The great crisis through which you passed last 
winter nearly overcame you, yet how wonderfully 
God brought you through, and blessed you even 
more than you could ask or think ; and will you 
allow a lesser burden to ' make you crazy,' to use 
your own words? No, no, dear father ; when ' He 
giveth quietness, who then can make trouble ? ' and 
that you may possess that c quietness ' will be my 
constant prayer. You will come out of this trial 
purified like gfold. 

" It may be that I presume too much in thus ad- 
dressing you ; but I long to help you in some way, 
and I thought that perhaps a letter might effect 
my desire. You know that I do not talk much, 
especially when deeply affected. You may think 
me stoical, perhaps I appear so ; but my heart is 



EARLY CROWNED. 71 

oftentimes brimfull, nearly ready to burst, and so 
I felt this morning. You have no doubt, I am sure, 
but that I love you ; I glory in the possession of a 
father like you, and may God help me never to 
cause one pang of sorrow to pierce your heart. 
Dearest father, that God may ever be with you 
and give you strength equal to your day, is and 
will be the constant prayer of your Mary." 

The winter had now fairly set in, and its dis- 
cipline upon Mary's character begun. To how 
many in her position would it have been a season 
of discontent and unhappiness, or an idle submis- 
sion to its privations without striving to profit by 
them. But the effect of this discipline upon 
Mary's mind and heart became daily more visible 
in her increased industry, self-denial, cheerfulness, 
and love, and may be plainly traced in the sub- 
joined extracts from the voluminous correspond- 
ence which she carried on with friends : 

" Decemuer 3, 1861. 

" Since we have determined to pass the winter 

up here, we have been so busy getting ready, and 

making slothes suitable for the children, that every 

mofv *k has been fully occupied. You know, my 



72 EAELY CKOWNED. 

dear Louise, that the sewing for four small chil- 
dren is no small item in one's catalogue of duties, 
and nearly all of it devolved upon me. And now 
I am teaching school from nine to twelve, and after 
dinner Dolph takes a music lesson; then I practice 
for an hour ; and the remainder of the afternoon is 
devoted to sewing and taking care of the children. 
... I wish that you could take a peep into our 
parlor windows and see us as we are sitting around 
the table. Pa and C. are amusing themselves, 
Mason is busy, and I am writing to you. Ma and 
D. are in the city. 

" After all, though it is a great trial in some 
respects to be cooped up here all winter, away 
from our nearest and dearest friends, yet in other 
respects it will be a great advantage to us. Per- 
haps God has some great work for me to do, and 
this winter's discipline may be preparing me for it. 
At all events I am very happy ; my peace is made 
with my Saviour, God smiles upon me and abund- 
antly blesses me. I c praise him for all that is past, 
and trust him for all that's to come.' How true it 
is that when you perform your duty with all your 
might, then you enjoy the most peace. . . • 

" I am trying to learn the hard lesson c in what- 
soever state I am, therewith to be content ; ' for 



EARLY CROWNED. 73 

He hath said, c I will never leave thee nor forsake 
thee. 3 Thrice blessed promise ! Love to all my 
friends, especially my Sabbath-school class, and do 
not forget to pray for your friend " Mary." 

u February 1, 1862. 
" It is late Saturday night, dear Louise, yet I 
feel that I must write a few lines to you before 1 
sleep. Sometimes' I have such a longing to see 
you that it is only by a strong effort of the will 
that I can control my feelings. I find my life hard 
sometimes, but, God be praised ! I usually come out 
conqueror through the Beloved. ... I am very 
happy in the family circle, especially in trying to 
do my duty. How little we know of ourselves 
until our faculties are exercised. I should very 
often fail were I not sustained by my Saviour. O 
how I love him! I will try to devote my whole 
energy to his service. Truly yours." 

" February 26, 1862. 
" If I only can do good, and so in some measure 
at least glorify my beloved Saviour, I shall not have 
lived in vain. I feel that 

1 Life is real ! Life is earnest ! 

And the grave is not its goal ; 
" Dust thou art, to dust returnest," 

Was not spoken of the soul,' 



74 EARLY CROWNED. 

" Isn't the Psalm of Life grand ? It is so full 
of soul ; the last verse especially touches my heart 
very much : 

8 Let "us then be up and doing, 

"With a heart for any fate ; 
Still achieving, still pursuing, 

Learn to labor and to wait.' 

"I think that it is wicked -to live without an 
object in life, and yet how many would say, ' What 
can I do ? my position is such that I am not able to 
do anything.' My answer would be to such, Life 
is made up of little things ; one little word spoken 
by you may result in the conversion of many souls. 
Ella, sister, improve every opportunity for doing 
good." 

"March 10. 

" Dear Louise : I have felt a strong desire to 
write to you, but have been unable till now. Last 
week mother went to the city, and was there from 
Tuesday until Saturday, consequently I assumed 
the duties of mother, sister, and daughter. Poor 
grandma, I fear, is on her death-bed. Only He who 
holds the issue of life and death can tell when our 
beloved grandma will leave this world for a brighter 
and better. 

" Perhaps you will be surprised when I tell you 



EAKLY" CEOWNED. 75 

that pa has resolved to have the new house put up 
right away, and, God willing, Ave will occupy it this 
summer. . . . 

"I trust this house will be what I have always 
longed for, c a homestead,' a place where all the 
relatives of the family can meet once in a while 
and have joyous gatherings. I want it also to be 
a place of refuge ; where, in case of trial, we shall 
always be welcome. God grant that none of us 
should ever want for a home ! Sometimes I dream 
about the future, and see all our large family set- 
tled in life. I pray the Lord that there may never 
be a 'prodigal' in our family. But I feel with 
Longfellow : 

" Trust no future, howe'ei pleasant ; 

Let the dead past bury its dead ; 
Act, act hi the living present ! 

Heart within, and God o'erhead." 

" God bless you, my friend." 

During this winter was begun that memorable 
institution, the "Family Journal," a source of 
interest and amusement to parents and children, 
who shared alike in the labor and pleasure attend- 
ing it. A page written by Mary will find its ap- 
propriate place just here : 



76 EARLY CROWNED. 

" Thursday, March 20. — Lila and I are alone in 
the sitting-room ; anon I hear the voices of the little 
ones at their sports. Bless their little hearts, how 
I love them ! Darling children ! with what confi- 
dence and trust they come to me, their elder sister, 
in all their troubles. They often ask me strange 
questions, and sometimes I am sorely puzzled to 
answer them simply enough. Lila especially is 
very anxious to know the truth ; she has just been 
asking me what is meant by 6 casting out devils.' 
Last Sunday morning three of the children came 
into my room and talked about spiritual things. 
Lila asked why Jesus died upon the cross. I 
explained the best that I could, and I think that 
she understood it thoroughly. Pa and ma are in 
the city now." 

About this time Mary was much interested in a 
volume of biography called " Leila Ada, the Jew 
ish Convert," and finding in it a series of resolu- 
tions, which she felt were judicious and what was 
needed for herself, after deliberation and prayer, 
adopted them for her own. Too conscientious to 
adopt another's form of words with precipitancy, 
she pondered each sentence, and weighed every 
word, till by modifications and additions she had 



EAKLY CROWNED. 77 

altered the original to suit her own circumstances; 
then carefully copying her first rough draft, she 
laid the paper in her portfolio, to be frequently 
perused and meditated on : 

" Monday, March 23, 1862. 

u I am so dissatisfied with my present mode of 
living, that I am resolved, God being my helper, to 
alter my conduct entirely, and for that purpose I 
resolve : 

" 1. That my highest aim in life shall be to glori- 
fy God in my body and spirit, which are his. 

"2. That I will never be ashamed of my religion, 
but will always avow it, when and where it shall 
seem proper so to do. 

" 3. That I will always carefully speak the truth , 
never indulge in the least equivocation, but always 
be both verbally and substantially correct ; and to 
this end I will carefully watch the meaning of all 
I utter. 

" 4. That I will always be ready to confess a 
fault and ask forgiveness for it, no matter what the 
character or the position of the person against 
whom I have offended. 

"5. That I will always strive to do unto others 
as I would that they should do to me ; that I will 



78 EAKLY CROWNED. 

never do anything which, if I saw it committed 
by another, would cause him or her to fall in my 
esteem. 

" 6. That, as far as in me lies, I will never do or 
be anything upon which I cannot expect in gly and 
confidingly ask the blessing of God. 

" 7. That when I have fixed a principle in my 
mind as right in the sight of God, I will never 
abandon it, unless convinced that it is a wrong 
one, or would involve me in bad consequences. 

" 8. That in fulfilling a clear duty, or in the pur- 
suit of a proper and good object I will never 
allow myself to be overcome by any trials or diffi- 
culties whatever. 

" 9. That I will spend one hour in each day in 
studying the Scriptures, and communing with my 
heavenly Father. 

" 10. That I will live to God while I do live, and 
strive never to engage in anything which I would 
shun if assured I was living the last hour of my 
life. 

"11. That upon all occasions I will discounte- 
nance improper levity and conversation in what- 
ever company I may be. 

"12. That I will carefully guard my temper, 
and never show the least symptom of unpleasant 



EARLY CKOWNED. 79 

emotion; not even by an altered tone of voice, or 
expression of countenance. That I will do this 
even if from physical causes I feel fretful and un- 
easy ; no one else should suffer on this account. 
O my Saviour, bestow on me a double portion of 
grace to keep this resolution ! 

"13. That in my responsible situation as the 
eldest child, I will endeavor to set an example of 
purity and goodness to my brothers and sisters, 
that they may see daily that my life is hid with 
Christ in God. 

" 14. That I will never speak sharply or crossly 
to any one, but, on the contrary, I will strive to be 
gentle and affectionate, which will gain my desires 
the sooner. 

"15. That I will never slander my neighbor, 
either by a word or expression of countenance, but 
always commend the good that is in him. 

"16. That my whole conduct shall be governed 
by love, that, so doing, I may fulfill the law of 
Christ. 

" 17. That I will never waste a moment. 

" 18. That I will be temperate in eating and 
drinking. 

"19. That I will strictly guard against pride in 
dress, and every other of its manifestations ; against 



80 EARLY CROWNED. 

vanity and conceit, and indulging supposed supe- 
riority of mind. 

" 20. That I will never seek my own satisfaction 
or pleasure at the expense of others, but, as far as 
possible, forget that there is a self to please. 

" 21. That when confidence has been reposed in 
me I will never betray it. 

" 22. That I will always be polite and easy in 
manners, urbane and gentle in company, neat and 
tasteful in my appearance, and in every respect 
show that I am a true Christian lady. 

"23. That I will honor and obey my parents m 
everything, love them with my whole heart, and 
do everything I can to promote their temporal and 
spiritual welfare. 

"24. That I will embrace every opportunity to 
improve my mind and heart, and avoid reading or 
conversing about anything that would demoralize 
my mind. Meligio et patientia et perseverantia 
omnia vinountP " Mary E N." 

" March 24. 

" I am so glad, Ella, that spring has come ; I long 

for my flowers, I devoutly thank my Father in 

heaven for having made this world so beautiful. 

Some people think it is such a gloomy world ; per- 



EARLY CROWDED. 81 

haps it is in some respects ; but God's love is so 
manifested in nature, that it makes the most for- 
bidding object declare there is a God." 

In a letter written April 1, after speaking to 
Cousin Annie of the death of a friend, Mary says : 

" O what a joyful meeting we will have when 
we all get home to heaven ! Just think of the 
loved ones we will meet there, friends and rel- 
atives, all to be united throughout eternity. Let 
us both c run with patience the race that is set be- 
fore us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher 
of our faith.' For we know that we have a house 
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Has 
not our blessed Saviour said, ' Let not your heart be 
troubled ; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In 
my Father's house are many mansions ; if it were not 
so, I would have told you ; I go to prepare a place 
for you. ... I will come again and receive you 
unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be dso.' 

" I will trust in my Saviour, I will love him, and 
serve him to the end of my days. May God 
bless you, and make you, dear cousin, his faithful 
follower." 

"April 2. 

cc Dear Ella : You know it is our custom to 

recite a verse of Scripture on Sunday mornings 

6 



82 EAELY CKOWKEP. 

at the breakfast table. Mine last Sunday was as 
follows : ' As ye have received Christ Jesus the 
Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him, 
stablished in the faith as ye have been taught, 
abounding therein with thanksgiving.' 

v What a world of thought does this open to 
us: do we follow Christ and walk in him as we 
have received him ? Alas, no ! What a thought : 
'rooted and built up in Him ! ' our source of being, 
our living head in all things ! 

" Christ may be compared to a noble oak, whose 
branches form a protection to the beasts of the 
field, and the fowls of the air lodge in them. The 
wind brings a tiny seed, and drops it at the foot of 
the oak. By and by, nnder the influence of the 
sun and rain, tiny roots shoot down among the 
roots of the great tree. In the course of time they 
grow stronger, and the earth opens and lets the 
little leaves peep forth ; at first tremblingly, but 
gathering more courage, they venture further, until 
able to reach the trunk of the great tree. 

" As days pass on the tiny seed becomes a beau- 
tiful vine, but it must have support; it looks 
around, and seeing the stately oak, ventures to 
cling to it. The oak offers its protection and help, 
and soon the little weak vine becomes stronger and 



EARLY CROWNED. 83 

larger, until it is impossible to separate it irom its 
support, the tree. Its roots and branches are so 
intermingled with the roots and branches of the 
oak, that they have become like one. 

" So it should be with us ; our lives and hearts 
should be so hid with Christ in God that they 
could not possibly be separated. O, Ella, the more 
I ponder the mysteries and wonders of eav,th and 
heaven, the more I feel my own nothingness and 
worthlessness. But He who notices even a spar- 
row when it falls to the ground will take charge 
of me, who am of much more value than many 
sparrows. m ' I will trust in him ; he is my portion 
forever.' " 

"April 2. 

" Dear Friend Addie : We have been spend- 
ing the winter here in the country, and I can assure 
you it is very different from living in the city. My 
father rented our house in the city for economy. I 
suppose nearly every one has been obliged to re- 
trench in his expenses this winter ; it seems hard, 
don't it ? But not our will, but thine, O Lord, be 
done. 

" Yet we have spent a very happy winter ; we 
have really experienced what ' evenings at home ' 
are, for being obliged to stay in-doors, we have spent 



84 EARLY CROWNED. 

our evenings very pleasantly with music, reading, 
and sewing. Not being able to attend school, 
we organized a home school, with myself for 
the teacher of four children, the babies being 
too young to attend ; and I pursued my own 
studies with C. We have tried to improve, and 
I think that some of us have made considerable 
progress. 

" On the whole, I think we have passed a profit- 
able winter. I am glad that spring has come ; I 
long to cultivate my flowers. I take great pleasure 
in watching their development. In the summer I 
intend to have a nice flower-garden. 

" This winter I have had nearly the entire charge 
of the four children, and I can assure you it is 
no small task. But I love to have them come to 
me, and with their little earnest faces ask me ques- 
tions with the confidence so beautiful to see be- 
tween brothers and sisters. It is a great responsi- 
bility to lead their little minds heavenward, and 
instruct them in the way of holiness. May the 
Lord give me grace and patience sufficient for my 
station and duty." 

" April 16. 

" 'Tis a lovely day, dear Louise ; how you would 
enjoy looking at the river were you here ; the 



EARLY CBOWNED. 85 

waters are so calm and quiet that the mountains 
are plainly and beautifully reflected. 

" The various sounds iudicative of life are dis- 
tinctly audible. The hum of distant voices, the 
deep baying of dogs, the twitter of birds, and the 
low of cattle, all proclaim that 4 life is real.' The 
most precious thought to me is that God, the im- 
mortal, the invisible, ' sitteth on the throne and 
ruleth all things.' 

" Sometimes I long for the day when my freed 
soul will wing its way to the New Jerusalem. At 
times my soul is bowed to the dust, and I grow 
weary of earth ; but a voice like that of the Son of 
God whispers, c Be of good cheer, I have over- 
come the world.' I have a work to do here on 
earth, and I must 

4 Be up and doing, 
"With a heart for any fate,' 

and in due season I shall be at rest ' if my faith fail 
not.' 

" May the Lord be with you in whatever you do, 
is the prayer of your friend." 

"May VS. 

" I bless and praise God with you, dear Ella, for 
his abundant mercy and long-suffering. What a 
forbearing Father we have ! how he loves us, and 



86 EARLY CROWNED. 

with what compassion he regards our weaknesses ! 
I am overwhelmed when I think on these things. 
I think I can say that I love my God ' with all my 
heart, and soul, and mind, and strength ;' but I 
have not yet arrived at that pure, unselfish condi- 
tion where I can 'love my neighbor as myself.' 
The process will be gradual, but I trust sure ; and 
by my Saviour's help I may ere long become pure 
and unselfish. I am naturally very willful, selfish, 
and passionate; when these three giants are over- 
come, I may then hope to set an example of good- 
ness to others." 

"May 17. 

" My dear Cousin : It was with deep pleasure 
and gratitude that I perused your letter. I felt 
especially thankful that you had proved yourself 
a ministering angel at the sickbed of a dying saint. 
God will bless and reward you, dear cousin, for 
your kindness. Have you not often realized that 
' it is more blessed to give than to receive ? ' The 
longer I live, the more I am convinced that our 
Saviour never spoke one idle word; he spoke 
nothing but truth. 

"Is not the country enchanting in spring? If 
earth is so wondrously beautiful, what must heaven 
be, to which earth is but as 'dust in the balance!' 



EARLY CROWNED. 87 

It lias been so long since I have passed a spring in 
the country, or had an opportunity to watch the 
development of nature, that I am perfectly enrap- 
tured with the sights that meet me on every hand. 
Is it not beautiful to see the fruit trees all laden 
with fragrant blossoms ? 

" Well, I hope we progress as much in wisdom 
as we do in years. How bitterly I regret, now 
that I am deprived of my school privileges, that I 
did not improve my time more diligently. Do 
make the most of your school days, for a period 
will sometime come when you will say, ' O, days of 
my youth, return, return ! ' " 

"May 30. 
" how my soul has exulted in beholding the 
bursting beauty of the country this season ! I 
never before passed a spring in the country when 
I could appreciate its surpassing loveliness. It 
has been remarked that this spring the country has 
bloomed with more than ordinary beauty. Every 
little while I run to the window and exclaim, how 
lovely ! and my soul experiences the most exquisite 
pleasure while drinking its fill from God's goblet 
of beauty and goodness. I say again, dear Ella, if 
earth is so perfectly beautiful, what must heaven 
be ! God grant we may both reach that blissful 



88 EARLY CROWNED. 

shore, and perhaps, Ella, we may wander hand in 
hand along the banks of the River of Life, and con- 
verse about and compare the beauty of this world 
w T ith that far brighter one. 

"Sometimes I grow so weary of earth that I 
can hardly wait until my Lord sees fit to take 
me home. This verse has arrested my atten- 
tion very closely: 'Whom having not seen, ye 
love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet 
believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and 
full of glory. 5 What truth and depth there 
is to that passage, c whom having not seen, ye 
love.' 

1 1 love Thee, I love Thee, and that Thou dost know, 
But how much I love Thee I never can show.' " 

In writing of the death of a friend Mary says : 

" June y. 
" Our friends are taken away on every side, one 
by one, and who will be next ? Perhaps you, per- 
haps I. But I hope that for us to die w T ill be gain. 
4 O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is 
thy victory ? ' 'I know that my Redeemer liveth, 
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the 
earth; and though after my skin worms destroy 
this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. 5 ' The 



EAKLY CBOWNED. 89 

Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that 
heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst 
come. And whosoever will, let him take the water 
of life freely.' 'He that testifieth these things 
saith, Surely I come quickly : Amen. Even so, 
come, Lord Jesus.' O how I long to go home and 
be at rest ! to lay my weary, aching head upon my 
Saviour's bosom. But I must finish the work that 
Thou gavest me to do, and then, the inexpress- 
ible joy of always being with Him whom my soul 
loves ! Does not earth seem tame when compared 
with heaven ? But hush ! my beating heart ; thou 
must suffer like unto thy Saviour, and when thy 
strength is perfect through suffering thou shalt 
find rest." 

"July 24. 

" Dear Annie : Do you build castles in the air 
much ? That is one of my favorite amusements : 
my hands move mechanically at my w T ork, but my 
imagination takes wings and tries to peer into the 
dim regions of futurity, but in vain ; the great 
gates of ' To Come ' are closed and sealed as with 
adamant. I often wish that I could know what 
will be my future life, but it is well that God 
alone possesses that knowledge. I am content 
to live each day as if it were my last; has not 



90 EARLY CROWNED. 

He said, 'Sufficient unto the day is the evil 
thereof?' 

" Doesn't this war seem to you like some terribly 
appalling panorama? Can you realize it? I can 
hardly believe that our own native land, the land 
we love the most, 'the land of the free and the 
home of the brave,' is desolated by war, rebellion, 
and treason. They tell me that there have been 
fearful battles, and that thousands of hearth- 
stones are desolate. 'Mothers, weeping for their 
children, will not be comforted because they are 
not.' 

" It must be some terrible dream. But no ! 'tis 
all too true : the Lord has covered his face, his 
vengeance is poured out upon us. Haven't we 
suffered enough ? 

" O, our Father, have mercy upon us. 

" O Lord, have mercy upon us. 

"Listen! do you hear that still, small voice, so 
sweet and melodious, saying, ' God is our refuge 
and strength, a very present help in trouble. 
Therefore will we not fear, thougL the earth be 
removed, and though the mountains be carried into 
the midst of the sea; though the waves thereof 
roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake 
with the swelling thereof." 



EAELY CROWNED. 91 

"July 25. 
" I can never do enough for my blessed Saviour ; 
but if, after doing what I can, my Lord shall say, 
' Well done, good and faithful servant,' my cup 
of bliss will be full." 

We find this entry in the " Family Journal :" 

" July 30, (1862 :) This afternoon has witnessed 
one of the most frightful and terrific storms of the 
season. The north and west were shrouded with 
angry black clouds ; distant mountains were hid- 
den in the gloom. The clear blue waters of the 
Hudson reflected the angry visage of the heavens. 
and all nature betokened a display of the Omnipo- 
tent in all his majesty and terror. Ere long the 
rain fell in torrents, accompanied with occasional 
booms of thunder, and quick vivid flashes of light- 
ning. The rain increased with such violence that 
the roads became ponds, and our cucumber bed 
appeared like a lakelet dotted with green islands. 
Suddenly, crack, smash, bang ! Hailstones varying 
in size from a pea to a bantam's egg began to fly 
in all directions. Woe betide any poor craven out 
of shelter. This peppering of hail lasted upward 
of thirty minutes. Suddenly the black ominous 
clouds broke away, and the sun poured forth his 



92 EAELY CROWNED. 

beams on a crest-fallen earth. Windows smashed, 
grass and flowers beaten flat, corn-leaves torn to 
ribbons, newly-worked roads rendered almost im- 
passable with ruts, stones, and mud. 

" Grandma says that in forty years she has not 
seen such a violent hailstorm; and certainly the 
younger members of the family beheld with awe 
and wonder the vengeance nature poured forth 
upon the earth, this being their first experience 

of the kind." 

u August 21. 

" Dear Addie : I aspire to be a thoroughly good 

woman, devoted heart and soul to my God, my 

family, and my country. And to this end I strive 

to build up a character, with divine help, which 

will in the end make me such a one." 

"August 25. 

u The ninth of August, dear Louise, was my 
birthday, and I have reached the advanced age 
of nineteen. "Well, I do feel very old, far older 
in years than in judgment; I suppose that I will 
always be a child in some respects. Pa gave me 
a beautiful locket containing his own and ma's 
likeness. I often look at it and kiss the dear faces 
imprinted thereon. God bless my father and 
mother, and make me worthy of such parents. 



ea£ly crowned. 93 

"When you see the votaries of fashion and 
worldly pleasure living for nothing but this world, 
do you not feel a sincere pity for them, and thank 
God that you have been called to follow the high- 
est calling to which a human being can attain— a 
child of God — an heir of heaven ? 

" I will give you my favorite motto; its spirit has 
carried me through many a difficult task : 'Perse- 
verantia et patientia omnia vincunV " 

As the Christian is known equally by what he 
fears as by what he hopes, it may be expedient 
to copy verbatim from Mary's journal a leaf or 
two written at this time : 

" Sept. 28. — I feel constrained to pen a few 
words to-day; perhaps it may relieve my heavy 
heart. Life has been very pleasant, and I trust 
profitable, during the last two years. Responsi- 
bilities more weighty than ever before have fallen 
to my lot ; but as my day, so has my strength 
been. My father's circumstances being greatly 
reduced, we were necessarily deprived of many 
luxuries ; but I care little for that. I assumed 
almost the entire charge of the younger children, 
but that is as nothing compared with my heart- 
struggles. To-day I could cover my head with 



94 EARLY CROWNED. 

dust and ashes, crying 4 Unclean, unclean.' My 
defects stare me in the face, so glaringly and 
tauntingly that I feel crushed to the very earth. I 
wonder that my parents and friends will own me, 
being nothing but a disgrace to them ; but worse 
than all, I have crucified my Saviour afresh. 
Proudly confident of my own strength, I have 
rushed madly into forbidden paths, and God by 
mortifying means has acquainted me with my 
error. 

" I feel humbled ; my spirit is broken. Discour- 
aged and cast down, I find little to comfort 
me but my earnest intention and desire to com- 
mence anew. God helping me I'll try, but I am 
so fearful of again falling into error. But this 
trial will prove beneficial in its results ; my wicked 
pride needs this discipline to subdue it entirely to 
the will of my heavenly Father. 

"I look forward to the coming winter with 
pleasure and interest, it being my earnest inten- 
tion to devote more time to the service of the 
Lord. I think I can conscientiously declare that 
if I fail on all other points, yet patience has begun 
her perfect work in me. I am going now to bow 
myself in prayer that the Lord will aid me to do 
better." 



EARLY CROWNED. 95 

M October 17. 

" Dear Annie : This morning early four little 
children, with the assistance of their sister, were 
busily engaged donning their habiliments for the 
morning, when an exclamation from grandma 
drew our attention to the western sky. Dipping 
in the river appeared one end of that grand old 
' bow of promise,' and sweeping northward, dis- 
appeared in the radiant heavens. Surely fainting 
hearts might take courage from such a glorious 
vision — proclaiming God is love. My own heart 
imbibes the freshness of this lovely day, and is 
strengthened for this day's duties, conflicts, and 
pleasures. 

" Go on, Annie, study all that you can, and 
you will never repent it ; but don't forget to im- 
prove the heart even more than the mind, fc for 
out of it are the issues of life.' Solemn and won- 
derful is our mission on earth. 

4 A charge to keep I have, 

A God to glorify ; 
A never-dying soul to save, 

And fit it for the sky.' 

" Annie, are you a Christian ? You never mention 
the subject in your letters. Do tell me, and O how 
my heart will rejoice should you answer in the 
affirmative." 



96 EARLY CROWNED. 

In the " Family Journal," October 19 : " The holy 
calm of the Sabbath pervades the land. The 
morning light dawned upon the household, gently 
rousing it from slumber, and demanding the praise 
due the Creator. Cheerfully and willingly our hearts 
and voices joined in adoration to the Father of 
mercies, and receiving a Sabbath morning bless- 
ing, we felt determined to spend the day faith- 
fully in the service of the Lord." 

Thus have we revived the memories of our 
loved one through the vicissitudes and unusual 
burdens of the year and a half, and we have 
seen how nobly she bore her part. And though 
Mary, as well as her parents, believed that their 
heavenly Father, " too wise to err, too good to be 
unkind," was preparing them by this severe disci- 
pline for some future usefulness, how little did 
any suspect what the trial of their faith would be. 

" God keeps a niche 
In heaven to hold our idols ; and albeit 
He brake them to our faces, and denied 
That our close kisses should impair their while — 
I know we shall behold them raised, complete, 
The dust swept from their beauty — glorified." 



EARLY CROWNED. 97 



CHAPTER VI. 

SUNNY MEMORIES. 

" I doubt if she said to you. much that could act 
As a thought or suggestion ; she did not attract 
In the sense of the brilliant or wise : I infer 
'Twas her thinking of others made you think of her." 

By the autumn of this year business in the me- 
tropolis had so much recovered from the shock it 
experienced at the beginning of the war, and the 
father's new enterprises had been so successful, 
that the family returned to the city early in No- 
vember. The boys resumed their studies at school, 
and Mary was in a measure relieved from some of 
the care and responsibility which had been hers so 
long. She still instructed her sisters, and labored 
to improve her own mind and heart. 

Her parents, sympathizing in the regret at dis- 
continuing her studies so unexpectedly, determined 
to give her every advantage in their power during 
this winter. Accordingly much pains were be- 
stowed on her music and French, and arrange- 
, ments made for private lessons in a more advanced 



98 EARLY CROWNED. 

course of English studies under her pastor and 
friend, Dr. True. Mary took much delight in the 
discussions arising from "Uphani" and "Cousin," 
and in our walks to the parsonage would frequently 
say, "Now, Louise, I want to have the doctor 
explain this or that," mentioning an objection or 
opinion developed in her mind by the lesson of the 
previous day; showing that she did not consider 
her work done when the recitation was finished 
and the text-book closed, but made the subject of 
her studies frequent themes for meditation. Dr. 
T., writing of this interesting period, says : 

" While pastor of the Thirtieth-street Methodist 
Episcopal Church in New York I formed a class in 
mental philosophy at the request of friends, to 
meet at the parsonage four or five mornings in the 
week. The class consisted of Mary NT., Louise C, 
and Emily T., and met for the first time December 
9, 1862. We began with Upham's Mental Science, 
and afterward took up and read Cousin's Critique 
of Locke. My recollections of this class are among 
the most pleasant reminiscences of my life as a 
teacher. Mary surprised me by the thoroughness 
of her mastery of every lesson, and the clearness of 
her recitations. I had before thought of her only 
as a beaatiful girl of amiable disposition and bright 



EAKLY CROWNED. 99 

understanding in common things ; but I had no 
expectation that she would penetrate very deeply 
into the abstrusities of mental science. On this 
account I selected the plainest and most attractive 
treatise on the subject which is used in our best 
seminaries; but when we had left the illustrated 
pages of Upham, and entered the higher regions of 
metaphysics with the acute and pervasive Cousin, 
I found Mary as capable of penetrating his mean- 
ing, comprehending his arguments, and appreci- 
ating and feeling his subtle eloquence, as the best 
student in college. She studied not only with 
diligence but with enthusiasm the whole of that 
masterly criticism by which the great eclectic has 
forever overthrown the dominion of Locke's sen- 
sationalism, and placed it in a just and honorable 
subordination to a true idealism. 

"At that time Mary was in the full bloom of 
womanhood, without any symptoms of decline, 
except that she had a cough which we all hoped 
was but a transient cold. I am persuaded that 
her metaphysical studies gave a healthy develop- 
ment to her mind, raised her ideas of God and the 
universe, gave her a deeper consciousness of free- 
dom and virtue, and inspired her with brighter 
hopes of immortality. During her last illness I 



100 EARLY CROWNED. 

am grateful to know she recurred often to the 
happy hours we had spent in discussion of these 
grand topics, and cheered her languid hours 
with such speculations as she had been taught 
to indulge. 

" Adieu, my loved pupil ; the bright reason that 
shone so cloudlessly in you, if not the divine 
Logos himself in you was certainly his bright- 
est image, and being a creature perfect after its 
kind, was the best proof of the existence of that 
all-perfect intelligence which alone could be its 
Creator; and its far revealings beyond the range 
of the senses was in you proof of its immortality, 
being so distinct from the material organism as not 
to share its doom of dissolution, but to be all the 
more alive and active by the falling off of those 
fleshly organs on whose impressions, by their con- 
tact with the external world, it was at first depend- 
ent, as the occasions of the unfolding of its almost 
divine intuitions." 

Mary also resumed her labors in the Sabbath- 
school by taking a class of ten little girls, who soon 
loved her dearly. She took much pleasure also in 
attending the religious meetings during the week ; 
and on one occasion, walking home together, she 
said, " Louise, I think there is more real com- 



EARLY CROWNED. 101 

fort and happiness in going to a prayer-meeting, 
such as we have enjoyed to-night, than any 
votary of pleasure can experience by attend- 
ance at ball or opera. How thankful we ought 
to be that we have been educated by Christian 
parents." 

A letter to her grandmother, written a fortnight 
after they came to the city, presents a charming 
picture of innocent enjoyment : 

" New York, November 15, 1862. 
" My dear Grandma : Two weeks to-day have 
we been residents of this great metropolis. Varied 
indeed is our life compared with the lovely quiet 
of our peaceful country home. All was so beauti- 
ful there, where God and nature reigned supreme ; 
but here, how shall I describe it 1 Nearly every- 
thing and everybody appears so superficial; no 
heart, nothing but the accomplishment of their 
own selfish ends. We like our house very well. 
Some things might be more agreeable, but 

4 Every pleasure liatli its pain, 
And every sweet a snare.' 

" The children feel the confinement very much, 
though I take them out nearly every day. On 
pleasant afternoons a young lady may be seen 



102 EARLY CROWNED. 

walking the streets, attended by four frisking 
specimens of humanity, said young lady having a 
wonderfully resigned expression resting on her 
countenance. Picture to your imagination what it 
must be to cross a muddy avenue with the four ; 
but I really enjoy going out with them. 

" Monday night a very large missionary meeting 
was held at Bedford-street. Pa, C, D., and I went. 
Quite a number of distinguished ministers spoke, 
among them Bishops Janes and Simpson. O, 
grandma, when I gazed upon those noble men 
growing old in the service of their Master, I felt 
great reverence for them. Bishop Janes, with his 
soft, gentle accents, and quiet, persuasive manner, 
calmed us; but when Bishop Simpson reared his 
great form aloft and fairly thundered, every passion 
and emotion of our natures was on fire. Never 
had I seen him before, and great as was my rever- 
ence, its depth is tenfold greater since I have seen 
and heard him. Bishop Baker was present also. 
Dr. T. walked home with us, and we all felt better 
for having been in the ennobling presence of great 
men. 

" The Monday after we came to the city pa came 
home early with the intelligence that Claude B. 
was dead. After a severe illness of seventeen days 



EARLY CBOWXED. 103 

she fell asleep in Jesus. Perhaps there never was 
a sweeter death than hers. When she found that 
life was very short she meekly kissed the rod, and 
said, c Thy will be done ! ' Beautifully did she 
exhibit that 

' Jesus can make a dying bed 
Feel soft as downy pillows are.' 

"No murmur or complaint escaped her lips. 
Her pastor was with her a great deal, and she 
would tell him to talk to her of heavenly things. 
She said, ' Tell all my friends that nothing is worth 
living for but the preparation for this dying hour. 5 
As she was dying she folded her hands on her 
breast and closed her eyes. Her mother noticed 
her lips moving, and bending over her said, s What 
is it Claude ? ' She shook her head, as if to say 
she could not answer, but her mother caught the 
word 'faith.' 

" She lay in an open coffin, clad in purest white, 
with white flowers scattered about her person. 
On her breast lay a beautiful crown of flowers, and 
lust below it a cross, beautifully expressive that 
those who bear the cross shall wear the crown. 
Death was most lovely in her case, and I could not 
but mentally exclaim, c Let me die the death of the 
righteous.' " 



104 EARLY CROWNED. 

The death of this lovely young Christian made 
a great impression on Mary, and contributed in no 
small degree to dispel from her mind all aversion 
to conversation in reference to her own feelings in 
prospect of dying. It was the first time she had 
ever looked upon death, and it is remarkable that 
her own passing away and funeral service should 
so much resemble Claude's. 

Another, letter to the young friend whom she 
had so often urged to be decided for the Saviour's 
cause, seems to tell us that her "labor had not 
been in vain : " 

" December 27. 
"My dear Addie: Tour father was almost 
ready to go when you last wrote to me, and now 
he is singing with the angels in heaven.* Your 
affliction and sorrow cannot be greater at losing 
him than it was at seeing him suffer so intensely, 
and feeling that every moment might leave you 
fatherless. But, Addie, I know that you are a 
Christian, and your trust is firmly placed on Him 
' who doetli all things well.' And you cannot but 
rejoice in prospect of your dear father's eternal 

* At the time this was written it was thought that the 
person referred to was deceased, but in fact he recovered and 
is still living. 



EARLY CROWNED. 105 

happiness. Think of him as a glorified being, bear- 
ing the impress of God's elect, treading the golden 
streets of the New Jerusalem in company with 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, walking on the banks 
of the River of Life, and saying, as did Christian 
of old, 'I heartily thank my God and King for 
bringing me to this place. 5 And, dear Addie, 
while thinking this of him, make a firm resolve, 
God helping you, to meet him there. 

"Think what a responsibility rests upon you. 
Deprived of a father's care and love, your brothers 
and sisters naturally look to your mother, but she 
is growing old, and will lean heavily on you'; and 
may God in his mercy strengthen you for your 
position and its duties. And be assured he will do 
it ; you can do all things through Christ strength- 
ening you. 

" Your friend, " Mary." 

The following, to Mary's cousin Annie, is the 
last of this winter's correspondence which we are 
privileged to read : 

" New York, February 28. 
" Dearest Cousin: Our parlor at present pre- 
sents a quiet, cheerful home scene. Pa, C, D., 



106 EARLY CROWNED. 

and myself surround the center table. The three 
former are studying, their Sunday-school lessons, 
while I am writing to you. Our venerable grand- 
ma sits near the register enjoying thoughts of the 
past, and dwelling on the future. Is there any 
place like home ? domitm dulce, dulce domum ! 
We mingle with the world, travel, visit, and wan- 
der from our loved ones, but in our most secret 
heart home is engraven, like Calais on Queen 
Mary's. 

"I read a most beautiful sentiment the other 
day, which I will insert here for your reflection. 
Some one, speaking of the wonderful love of our 
Father in heaven, says: 'Love is the king of 
words, carved on Jehovah's heart.' Is it not beau- 
tiful? 

" This winter has passed swiftly and delightfully 
with me. Temporally, God has abundantly blessed 
us; and spiritually, my heart has been turned 
toward my risen Saviour; and if I have not ad- 
vanced as much toward the entire subjection of 
self to the will of God, I have this consciousness, 
that I desire not to be worldly. O how often 
have I tried to leave self out of the question ; but, 
Annie, when we think that self is conquered, we 
find it creeping from underneath some beautiful 



EARLY CROWNED. 107 

flower. This is such a sweet comfort to me — that 

my Saviour was c tempted iu all poiuts as we are, 
yet without siu;' aud with every temptatiou there 
is provided ' a way of escape.' 

"It seems as if I love you, dear Annie, a great 
deal more since assurance has been given me that 
you are numbered among the people of God. May 
he ever keep you faithful, is the prayer of 

" Mary." 

Here ends the record of that happy, peaceful 
winter. And all Mary's friends in the city cannot 
but rejoice in remembering how it was granted to 
them to enjoy her society during this little season 
of her perfect health. 

Perhaps it is more true in a large family than in 
others, that " something is happening most years." 
This six months' sojourn in Xew York had not 
been without incident. The little children had all 
been very ill with the measles, and the thought 
that her eldest brother would leave home in the 
fall had given at times a shade of sadness to the 
family group ; but through all, Mary had enjoyed 
such rest as those only enter into who walk in the 
strait and narrow path of duty. 

Some of her friends had noticed in Mary, during 



108 EARLY CROWNED. 

the winter, an inclination to cough, and were not 
surprised, as spring came on, to hear that she had 
left home for a visit to her uncle at Lima. This 
change of air, it was fondly hoped, would be bene- 
ficial to her, and so for a season it seemed. 

Mary enjoyed her visit exceedingly ; no less the 
journey and sight-seeing than the more intimate 
acquaintance with her relatives, whom she had not 
seen since leaving school. During her stay at 
Lima a little incident occurred which her cousin 
loves to recall. They had been spending the even- 
ing out, and returning home about nine o'clock had 
seated themselves upon the porch to enjoy the 
moonlight. 

From speaking of the pleasure of the evening 
and the beauty of the night, they strayed on in 
their talk to more serious subjects, when Mary said, 
" Annie, I have often wondered who of our large 
family would be the first to go ; I have always felt 
as if I would." Then they talked about when they 
would rather die, before or after their parents, 
and each thought she could better bear the pain of 
parting than father or mother could; and Mary 
said she hoped to live ; " but, Annie, let us remem- 
ber this conversation, and whichever is taken first 
let the other be comforted by it." 



EARLY CROWNED. 109 

On Mary's return from Lima the family removed 
to Ashridge to spend the summer, those golden, 
happy days, the last which they were to spend 
together as an unbroken circle. 

The letters which we here append mark how 
the days passed till the first link in the family 
chain was broken, and C. left for college; his 
leave-taking to be followed by another only more 
regretted, that of Mary herself; but we must not 
anticipate. 

" Ashbidge, May 6, 1863. 

" Dear Anxie : Are you a teacher in the Sun- 
day-school? I felt very sorry to part with my 
little girls when we left New York. I had ten as 
lovely little scholars as you could well find. They 
used to watch so eagerly for me, and when I ap- 
peared, their eager, expectant faces would brighten 
so quickly that I could catch them all to my heart 
and keep them there. Darling children ! I wonder 
whether they will have any teacher who will love 
them better than I did. But O, I was not as 
faithful as I ought to have been. I allowed 
too many opportunities to pass which I might 
have improved. But I will strive to have no 
regrets in the future if God permits me to live 
and work. Mary." 



110 EAELY CROWNED. 

" May 13. 
" My Deak Louise : How welcome your letter 
was to me. I had felt real lonesome, because you 
know the change was considerable — from the city, 
where I could see some of my friends every day, 
to here, where hardly any company is seen, except 
the workmen, the butcher, and the grocer. Those 
rainy days it was dreary enough, but what am I 
saying ? I fear it will sound like discontent ; but 
don't take it so, for I am happy as far as external 
circumstances are concerned ; But 0, Louise, I am 
so troubled about myself. I scarcely know what 
is the matter, my heart is dull, dead, cold ; I fear 
religion is a mere name with me. I long so earnest- 
ly to do right, and mechanically try to perform my 
allotted duties ; but what does that amount to if 
the Holy Spirit does not abide in me. Tell me 
what to do. I pray and read my Bible, and try to 
throw some life into my devotions. Merciful God, 

4 Take my poor heart, and let it be 
Forever closed to all but Thee ; 
Seal Thou my breast, and let me wear 
The pledge of love forever there.' 

But I wont talk any more about myself, it's not 
worth while. 

"The country looks very charming since the 



EARLY CROWNED. Ill 

rain. When we first came up the trees were just 
budding, and looked very bare ; but now they are 
covered with a tender green, and some of the fruit 
trees are in full blossom. 

" But the river ! how can I describe it, so sol- 
emn, and stable, and grand ; its ceaseless waves the 
same yesterday, to-day, and till the end of the 
world. And our Father made them all ! How can I 
be -so distrustful, when I see his name, Z,ove, writ- 
ten on the tiniest leaflet as well as on the firmament. 

" You say you enjoyed our winter's study very 
much; so did I. Last winter was as pleasant a 
one as I ever spent, and I know that I am better 
and stronger than I was six months ago. 

" God be with you my dear friend." 

The following, written shortly after her twentieth 
birthday, shows the determination with which she 
entered on this year, which was to be such an 
eventful one to her: 

"August 20. 

" 'Tis the eve of the holy Sabbath, and sweet 
peaceful thoughts have stirred my soul, and with 
them came thoughts of you, my dear cousin. 

"This afternoon was the celebration of the Lord's 
Supper, and though we did not attend, on account 



112 EARLY CROWNED. 

of the extraordinary and excessive heat, still my 
thoughts have been with Him who, eighteen hund- 
red years ago, said, 'Take, eat; this is my body 
which is broken for you: this do in remembrance 
of me? Likewise, ' Drink ye all of this ; this is m^ 
blood which is shed for you.' 

" O, Annie, did he suffer all that for you, for me ? 

boundless love! who but the blessed Saviour 
would have undergone such agony for sinful hu- 
manity! Annie, dear, thanks be unto God, that 
both you and I have believed that his most precious 
blood had power to 'cleanse us from all unright- 
eousness,' and we know that the c white stone ' is 
given unto us bearing the impress of pardon. 

" I feel so happy this afternoon. I never experi- 
ence any of that ecstacy of which I've heard some 
speak ; but my happiness is so calm and peaceful. 

1 seem to understand what the Saviour meant when 
he said, ' My peace I give unto you.' Yet I do 
not always enjoy this ; my spirit is too easily ruffled 
with the vexations of life. O that my soul pos- 
sessed itself in patience ! Never will I be satisfied 
until my heart is thoroughly imbued with the 
spirit of my Saviour, so that though cares and dis- 
appointments may encompass me, my strength may 
never fail, for c all my springs ' will be in him. 



EAKLY CROWNED. 113 

"Read the twenty-fifth psalm, and see if it does 
not express the desire of your heart : 6 Lead me in 
thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of 
my salvation ; on thee do I wait all the day.' 
Annie, let us pray fervently for each other. 

"Trusting in my all-sufficient Father, I have 
entered this year determined to be a Christian 
woman in every sense of the word ; a faithful, duti- 
ful daughter, a devoted, cheerful sister, and a true 
friend ; in short to be a sunbeam. Do you think 
that such a victory awaits me ? I am sure of it, 
if I go forth clad in the whole armor of God. 

" Lovingly, " Mary." 

i "August 27. 

" You must have had a delightful trip this sum- 
mer, dear Ella. I imagine how you enjoyed it. 
What glorious beauties nature possesses ! And 
could you not say with the poet, e These are thy 
glorious works, Parent of good ? ' 

"From our front piazza we enjoy the most 

varied, perfect, and splendid view that mortal ever 

saw. We ought to grow to be beautiful Christians 

in the midst of so much that is pure and lovely. 

We come in contact with very little evil. I know 

for myself that no evil worth mentioning assails 

8 



114 EAELY CROWNED. 

me, except from my own heart. I suffer very little 
temptation. And I do believe and hope that this 
purity is being developed in me; I enjoy sweet 
peace from God my Father." 

And now the happy summer was almost gone, 
and with it, one bright day, departed Mary's 
companion and most intimate friend, her eldest 
brother. 

Perhaps in nothing is the difference between the 
young and those advanced in life so noticeable, 
as in the varied anticipations they enjoy and the 
hopes they cherish. To a family of young people, 
brought up together, and forming a little world in 
themselves, all change in the home circle seems far 
distant — all vacant chairs as if in a few days to be 
again occupied ; or, if they seriously contemplate 
separations, they are to be tearless partings, and 
frequent happy returnings ; while those older, who 
know so well, 

4 There is no union here of hearts 
Which finds not here an end,' 

are more apt to look with stoicism or indifference 
on the grief of youth when it discovers how bitter 
is the pang of parting, and that time as well as 
death works changes in all. 



EARLY CROWNED. 115 

No indifference did these parents affect when 
they sent forth their eldest son, but with him sent 
as much of a happy home as he could carry — a 
father's counsel, a mother's prayers ; and the deep 
love of all found vent in many tender lines to the 
quiet student far away. From among these letters 
we gather passages of two of Mary's 

"August 27, 1863. 

" I pray God every day that grace may be given 
me to perform the sacred duty and trust of a sister 
faithfully. It is no task for me to labor for my 
precious brothers. 

" The air this morning is delightful, infusing new 
life into our bodies. You have seen the landscape 
look just as it does now, the waters are so blue 
and calm. As I have read, 'the great heart of 
the water throbbed gently as the bosom of a sleep- 
ing child.' The ships look like so many white- 
winged messengers of peace floating calmly on the 
waters of truth. Blue, you know, means truth." 

" Sallath, August 30. 
" I wonder, dear brother, how you are and what 
your experience is this holy Sabbath morning ! 
this, the first Sabbath you have ever spent away 



116 EARLY CROWNED. 

alone from the home of your lov6, the Christian 
home of your childhood. Can you realize the 
infinite advantage you have over your compan- 
ions ? Surely never were children more blessed 
than we have been, surrounded from our birth by 
holy influences, and oar first lispings directed to 
pronounce the holy name of our God. We cannot 
realize what the world calls sin ; our main trouble 
is from fightings within. 

"This morning has passed so pleasantly with 
me. I read a while with the children, and then 
retired to my sanctum sanctorum, there to com- 
mune with my Father in heaven. 

" Last night Cousin Mina asked me whether I 
enjoyed that 'peace which passeth all understand- 
ing.' I told her that sometimes I was puzzled to 
know. Uniformly I felt very happy, but I feared 
it too often arose from indifference. But I think I 
am a Christian from this fact, that my life, I be- 
lieve, is governed by Gospel principles, though too 
often I fail in executing them. 

" This morning I have been questioning my 
heart, and this is the result : Too much confidence 
is placed in self, and till that idol is destroyed, 
peace cannot abide. While probably you were 
worshiping in church, I was pleading with the 



EARLY CROWNED. 117 

Lord for more light, more humility, and more 
love. Then I prayed that our blessed Saviour's 
presence might rest upon you, and that you might 
experience the blessedness of a Father's forgiveness. 
C, have your sister's prayers been answered ? 

" Mina left me a sweet little book to read 
while- she was gone to church, called 'None Like 
Christ.' It is beautifully written, and commences 
by saying that the law of contrast is always studied 
by the poet, painter, or logician, and the author 
intends to pursue the same plan with the character 
of Christ, putting it in contrast with things temporal. 
The author depicts glaringly the depravity of hu- 
manity in substituting everything inferior to the 
Saviour for the Saviour himself. l It may be your 
daily calling, or some pleasure of memory, or some 
object of taste : music, sculpture, painting, litera- 
ture, science, whatever the master-passion of your 
soul, the supreme, all-engrossing object of your 
life — it is your Christ, your Saviour, your beloved, 
your all; and with this your only portion and 
preparation, you are in a little while to confront 
the bar of God ! Where your treasure is there 
will your neart be also.' 

"I have quoted thus largely because we are 
both guilty, I am confident. Examine closely, and 



118 EAELY CROWNED. 

discover what that idol may be, and pluck it out 
with God's help. 

"The author then dwells beautifully upon the 
glory of Christ : ' Can you with the exulting evan- 
gelist exclaim, " We have seen his glory, the glory 
of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace 
and truth." " We all, with open face beholding as 
in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into 
the same image, from glory to glory, even as by 
the Spirit of the Lord." ' C, think of that : c We 
are all changed into the same image ! ' c I shall 
be satisfied when I awake in thy likeness.' 

" I wish you had this little book ; it is full of the 
loveliness of our Redeemer. I feel quite happy 
now ; my heart drinks in a portion of the peace 
which c He giveth his beloved.' 

" Dear Charlie, may this be a happy and a profit- 
able day to you, and may the mantle of peace and 
mercy be yours is a sister's prayer. Remember, 
you must bear your cross at all times, and do all 
the good that lies in your power. Work while it 
is day, for the night cometh when no man can 
work. God Almighty bless you, dear brother." 

In the following Mary speaks of her feelings in 
regard to the separation from her brother : 



EAELY CEOWjSTED. 119 

" September 4. 

"Dear Louise: I must begin with the subject 
nearest my heart, indeed all our hearts — the first 
link broken in our family circle by brother Charlie's 
absence. I little knew how dear he had become 
till separated from him. 

" I don't pretend to play the piano, music seems 
so dull without the sweeter tones of his flute ming- 
ling with my deeper accompaniment. 

" You know what a trial it must be to have him 
absent. We have been together for eighteen 
years ; seldom disagreed, always rejoicing in each 
other's hopes, and sorrowing in each other's 
griefs ; but I am thankful that his lot is cast 
at M . 

"I had almost forgotten to tell you that I've 
been troubled with a severe cough for nearly six 
weeks. I took cold in the early part of August, 
and it settled immediately into a hacking cough, 
very different from the one I had last winter. I 
have grown quite thin and pale for me. I am 
picking up some now, and my cough, I hope, is 
getting better. 

" I am very well spiritually, better than in the 
early summer, still I cannot be satisfied until 'I 
awake in His likeness.' Pray for me that my faith 



120 EARLY CROWNED. 

may be stronger. God bless and keep you, my 
dear." 

The next letter, written a little later in Septem 
ber, is to the mother of Mary's former pastor, ar. 
" elect lady," who honored Mary with a friendship 
at once happy and useful : 

" September 13, 1863. 

" Very Dear and Respected Friend : You 
can little imagine the joy that possessed me upon 
the receipt of a letter from you. 

" The good seed contained thereiu has sunk deep 
in my heart, which I earnestly and constantly 
beseech the great Tiller to transform into good 
ground, and may the Lord grant that abundant 
fruit may be produced to the honor and glory of 
his name. For some time I have wished to write to 
you, but negligence and company have prevented. 
So to-day I determined should be partly passed in 
writing to you. 

"The practice of writing ordinary letters on 
Sunday I think is very wrong; but it seems just- 
ifiable to write on religious themes to a holy woman 
like yourself, whose life is hid with Christ in God, 
and from whom I can receive light in regard to the 
way in which I but feebly grope. I have written 



EARLY CROWNED. 121 

very few letters on Sunday, and they were purely 
religious. Please tell me your views on this 
subject. My fear is, that I may be doing on the 
Lord's day that which should be done at another 
time. 

" ' The Lord gave and the Lord taketh away ; 
blessed be the name of the Lord.' Such, I know, is 
the language of your heart to-day. God has seen 
fit to bereave you of another child, grief will bear 
you down for a while, but this rainbow cloud will 
break in a shower of mercies on your head. I 
know, dear Mrs. F., that I cannot sympathize with 
you as I would. God has never afflicted me with 
the loss of any near and dear one, but what sym- 
pathy I possess is with you. 

" Poor little children ! how they will miss a ten- 
der mother's care. May God sustain you all, and 
sanctify this affliction to your good. If not too 
painful for you, will you please tell me more par- 
ticularly about your daughter. TTe did not know 
her as well nor see her as often as the others. 

" Our home is very bright and peaceful now, 
though we miss our dear C. very much, but feel 
reconciled to the separation, knowing it is for his 
good. I ought to grow very good with two such 
bright examples before me as my parents. 



122 EARLY CROWNED. 

" This summer my mind has been very peaceful ; 
I am conscientiously striving to live iprightly. 
The heights and depths of the love of God I have 
not yet attained, but hope and pray that I may ex- 
perience them ere long. 

" Can you not come and visit us in our quiet 
home ? We will do all we can to make you hap- 
py. Please remember me kindly to all, and accept 
my sincere love for yourself; and I pray that you 
c may be able to comprehend with all saints what is 
the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, 
and to know the love of Christ' that you may be 
filled with all the fullness of God. 

"Lovingly and respectfully yours." 

In a former letter Mary speaks of a hacking 
cough, which she found it so difficult to remove by 
ordinary remedies, but which was not thought 
serious. As the autumn, however, advanced, and 
no improvement in her symptoms was visible, it 
was decided by the physician's advice to try a 
change of air, in hope of a complete recovery. As 
her uncle and family were on the eve of dejDarture 
for New Orleans, it was arranged that Mary should 
accompany them, trusting lhat the sea voyage and 
a short sojourn in a milder climate would restore 



EARLY CROWDED. 123 

her to perfect health. Mary announces this plan 
to her cousin by letter : 

" Asheidge, November 5. 

u Dear Cousin : Please God, a week from Sat- 
day I shall be on the great ocean bound for New 
Orleans. This ugly cough will kill me if not 
checked ; for three months it has racked my frame 
until T have grown quite thin and pale ; all med- 
icine seems in vain ; indeed the doctor says it will 
be of little avail, and consequently ordered me to 
sea. 

The difficulty is in my throat, a most insatiable 
irritation which will become pulmonary if neglected. 
Uncle T. and his family expect to sail for New Or- 
leans Saturday after next, and I am to accompany 
them. 

" I anticipate pleasure from the trip, of course, 
though it will be hard to leave home just as my 
brother comes home for vacation. However, a good 
God will direct all for the best. Into thy hands 
we commit our all, for our trust is in thee O Lord, 
our strength and our Redeemer. 

" Annie, if I leave home, I go with the full de- 
termination to do all in my power for the service 
of my Master. If a word in season, a pure ex- 
ample, a heart full of love and zeal for God will 



124 EAELY CROWNED. 

accomplish anything, I pray and believe they will 
not be wanting. Pray fervently for me that an 
Almighty Hand may ever lead me." 

And this hasty little note she sent the next day 
before she sailed : 

" November 11. 
" My Dear Louise : I seize this, my last op- 
portunity of sending you a word. Will not yon 
come and see me off? I suppose we will be at the 
steamer about half past one or two. Inclosed you 
will find me, [her photograph,] and, dear friend, in 
return give me your prayers, for I shall be tempted. 
May the merciful Father bless us both, and if fated 
to meet again no more on earth, I know we shall 
join hand in hand around the throne and eternally 
bless Him who died for us." 



EARLY CROWNED. 125 



CHAPTER VII. 

IN NEW ORLEANS. 

" The path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth 
more aud more unto the perfect day." 

In the last chapter we parted with Mary as, in com- 
pany with her uncle and cousins, Mr. Mason and 
family, she bade adieu to the large company who 
assembled to bid " good-by." N"o marked inci 
dents occurred during the pleasant voyage ; but 
the passengers will not soon forget the young 
lady whose attractive appearance, sincere, hon- 
est face, and discreet conduct, so contrasting 
with the flippancy of others, won the admiration 
and commanded the respect of all who beheld her. 
During the few days her father subsequently spent 
in New Orleans, he was addressed by different gen- 
tlemen, fellow-passengers with Mary, in words of 
congratulation in being father to so noble a daugh- 
ter. They expressed themselves delighted to 
have found one Avhose simplicity and naturalness, 
purity and dignity, adorned her sex, and exalted 



126 EAELY CROWNED. 

real womanhood, in the midst of society for the 
most part hollow and artificial. On arriving at 
New Orleans she became an inmate of the family 
of her cousins, (Mr. and Mrs. Brush,) whose 
kindness to the invalid rendered her absence 
from home so tolerable. Indeed, in such a 
pleasant home, with her uncle's family in the 
neighborhood, she could feel none of the isola- 
tion so often experienced by strangers in a 
strange land. 

Her six months' career in that city is so clearly 
and graphically related by her temporary pastor, 
Rev. J. P. Newman, that his friendly memorial is 
appended without further introduction : 

" Mary Elizabeth North was a beautiful example 
of the Christian from home. Coming to New 
Orleans in the autumn of 1863, she remained here 
until the spring of the succeeding year. The win- 
ter of '04 was remarkable for its universal gayety, 
and even dissipation. Under the false impression 
that the social evils incident to war might be alle- 
viated by conviviality, and fraternal relations per- 
manently restored by the sumptuous dinner and 
the merry dance, those high in authority presided 
at the former and led in the latter. Fast living 
was the order of the day, and extravagance ruled 



EAKLY CEOWKED. 127 

the fashions. Fortunes were made in a day, and 
squandered as soon. Away from the restraints of 
home, men departed from the teachings of their 
youth ; and Christians, charmed with the prospect 
of speedy wealth, and delighted with the 'pleas- 
ures of sin, 5 yielded to the allurements of the hour, 
and in too many instances lost fortune, reputation, 
and God. Young men, delirious with excitement, 
abandoned themselves to sinful pleasures, and either 
sank to infamy here, or returned to their northern 
homes bereft of virtue, wrecks of better days. 
Nor were women less susceptible of the baneful 
influences of the times. They emulated their hus- 
bands and brothers at the festive board, and rivaled 
them in the intoxication of the waltz and quadrille. 
To most of them it was a new life. Reared to 
self-restraint, and to find their chief enjoyment in 
deeds of charity and in acts of devotion, thev sud- 
denly found themselves in a city where worldly 
enjoyments, inconsistent with personal piety, were 
regarded the privilege rather than the dishonor of 
the Christian. The night was wasted in merri- 
ment, the day was spent in languor. Night after 
night, in masked attire, or fantastic costume, they 
threaded the mazes of the dance, or sat delighted 
in the opera and theater, or lingered long at the 



128 EARLY CROWNED. 

convivial board, where the wine was 'red,' and 
where not ^infrequently the morning light found 
them intensely engaged in games of chance. Such 
was the moral state of New Orleans the half year 
Miss North was here. It is no marvel that per- 
sonal piety was at a discount, and that attending 
church once on the Lord's day was deemed the 
sum of religion. To live godly in such times was 
to suffer persecution ; but the marvel is how she 
kept herself ' unspotted from the world.' Young, 
beautiful, attractive, she was the recipient of nu- 
merous invitations to join the festive scene; but O 
what steadfastness she displayed, what preferences 
for the sweet rest of devotion, what proof that her 
c conversation was in heaven ! ' Like Moses, 
'choosing rather to suffer afflictions with the 
people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of 
sin for a season ; esteeming the reproach of 
Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, 
for he had respect unto the recompense of the 
reward.' 

" Sweetly, quietly she contented herself with the 
refined amenities of home, or mingled in such 
social gatherings as were consistent with her pro- 
fession, and permitted by her conscience 

" Hers was a rare life that memorable winter. 



EARLY CROWNED. 129 

She seemed alone in her choice, yet her very isola- 
tion made her attractive. Her influence soon 
began to be felt. Others were restrained in their 
extravagance and folly, and she became the center 
of a circle of refined social life, and to-day, while 
those who were ignorant of the principle which 
governed her, mourn their folly and weep over 
wasted fortunes, she is remembered with respect, 
and her pious memory is cherished with delight. 
I know of no truer, purer example of the constancy 
of a Christian from home. Whether the piety of 
too many is but a restraint, springing from self- 
respect or a desire for the esteem of friends and 
relatives, I know not ; but it is patent to all that 
when among strangers men do many things con- 
trary to their reputation at home, and which, if 
known, would exclude them from the communion 
of saints, and forfeit the favor of those by whom 
they are esteemed ; but her fidelity to Christ came 
from her simple, constant love for his name, and a 
wholesome fear of his displeasure. She wab 
Christ's, and recognized the perpetuity of her 
obligations to him as to time, and their universal- 
ity as to place. 

" How much such decisions and devotions were 

due to early training and parental influence is best 

9 



130 EAELY CKOWNED. 

evidenced by her almost constant references to 
home. She had been trained up in the way she 
should go, and did not depart therefrom, no, not 
even among strangers. For every solicitation to 
worldly pleasures she had some cherished saying 
of father's, some remembered request of moth- 
er's. She lived as it were in their immediate pres- 
ence. Memory brought them near, and in fancy 
she was ever consulting the will of the one and the 
wish of the other. She seemed never happier than 
when describing some home scene, some feature of 
family w T orship, some incident of parental govern- 
ment, some peculiarity of father or mother, or re- 
lating some story of domestic love. Her love of 
home was unbounded. It was her delight to pre- 
pare tokens of affection for a sister or brother, 
whose image she bore upon her heart while in a 
distant land ; and she was not unfrequently heard 
to sing 

4 Do they miss me at home, 
Do they miss me ? ' 

To the song-question of a daughter so dutiful 
and a sister so devoted, the response could only be 
emphatic; and now since her flight from earth, 
more than ever before, they miss her from home. 
"Although truly and religiously select in the 



EARLY CROWNED. 131 

choice of companionship, yet her piety was not 
morose, nor was she ascetic. Her yonng heart 
was gushing with affection, her spirit was elastic 
and joyous; her countenance evinced a contented 
mind, full of hope and promise. Her merry laugh 
still lingers in the ear of friendship, and her sweet 
maiden face still lights the memory of affection. 
Her judgment was mature beyond her years, and 
her mind was so evenly balanced that self-control 
and the control of others was seldom a task. 
More than once during her residence in ISTew 
Orleans she displayed this power. One possessed 
of her personal charms could not be otherwise 
than attractive, and those who sought her hand 
were not a few; but disinclined to form an alliance, 
she embraced the opportunity to speak of Jesus, 
and the interview terminated with serious religious 
impressions. 

u Nor was her piety inactive. Tenderly loving 
children, she accepted the charge of the infant class 
connected with the Sunday-school of the Felicity- 
street Methodist Episcopal Church. This was the 
sphere of her activities. Here all her tender solici- 
tude was awakened, here her faith was the c sub- 
stance of things hoped for, and the evidence of 
things not seen.' And now, after an absence §'ora 



132 EARLY CROWNED. 

us of more than a twelvemonth, the infant lips she 
taught to lisp a Saviour's praise speak a teacher's 
name. Her life will be reproduced in theirs ; she 
lives in them. It was her happiness to be here 
when Bishop Ames visited the Crescent City to 
plant a loyal Church, and the writer remembers 
her interesting account of that great historic event 
published in one of our religious papers. That 
letter will form part of the written history of this 
mission. Not a small portion of it was devoted 
to the organization of the Sunday-school, evincing 
the interest she felt in that cause. 

" Perhaps she never manifested during her whole 
life the true heroine more than when in the winter 
of '64 she engaged as a teacher in a negro Sunday- 
school. Her womanly heart yearned over a long 
despised and oppressed race, and casting aside the 
scorn of enemies and remonstrances of timid friends, 
she went forward, lifting up the fallen and making 
wise the simple. And now, since that inaugural 
labor, that day of small things, the children of 
Africa fill our day-schools and throng our churches 
on the Lord's day. They and we are now reaping 
the fruits of her labors ; and her quiet, unostenta- 
tious work of love will not be forgotten when the 
Lorc^ shall come to make up his jewels. 'Write, 



EAELY CROWNED. 133 

Blessed are the dead which die in the Lorci from 
henceforth ; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may 
rest from their labors ; and their works do follow 
them.' 

" But there is another aspect of her character to 
be contemplated, and one other incident in her 
brief stay in our city to be related. It was during 
a period of great destitution among our troops, 
and especially the wounded here, that, moved by 
generous impulses, Mrs. Banks proposed a tableau 
entertainment for the benefit of such, and our de- 
parted friend appeared as Charity in the tableau of 
'Faith, Hope, and Charity.' The object to be at- 
tained was no less worthy than the enjoyment 
afforded was refined. The immense building in 
which it was held was densely crowded with the 
intelligence, beauty, wealth, and soldiery of the 
city. Neither art nor expense had been spared to 
render the occasion a great success, and the pro- 
ceeds therefrom not only met the full expectation 
of the originators of the plan, but relieved the 
wants of our brave but suffering soldiers. Each 
tableau was produced with exquisite taste and with 
no little elaboration, and each in turn received its 
well deserved meed of praise. But for simple, 
chaste, artless beauty, the " Tableau jf the Three 



134 EAELY CROWNED. 

Graces " was unexcelled. There stood Faith with 
her cross, pure and ethereal ; on her left was Hope, 
radiant and joyful, holding fast the symbolic an- 
chor ; while on her right stood Charity, benign and 
loving, to whose ample robes three children of 
poverty clung, looking up into her sweet and 
gentle face to find a response to their infant wants. 
c And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three ; 
but the greatest of these is charity.' " * 

In addition to Dr. Newman's testimony the fol- 
lowing incident is subjoined. Some months after 
Mary's return from New Orleans her parents 
planned a short trip for her, stopping on the way 
in Philadelphia. While there a merchant who had 
spent the winter in New Orleans called to pay his 
respects to Mary. Taking the father aside, he said 
substantially, " I wish to express my admiration 
for your daughter, whose conduct was so noble 
during her visit in New Orleans. Even we mar- 
ried gentlemen found the fascination of the place a 
severe ordeal for our consistency. The tendency 
in every thing was downward. There was nothing 
in religious or social influence strong enough to 

* In this tableau Mrs. Newman was Faith, Mrs. Brush, Hope, 
tmd Miss North, Charity. 



EAULY CEOWNER 135 

hold men back from the whirlpool of sinful 
pleasure. But your daughter, placed in the midst 
of a circle of Northerners, held us all up. Her 
pure example and gentle admonitions strength- 
ened our resolutions, and kept us from yielding 
to temptation. For myself, I owe her a debt of 
gratitude words cannot express." 

We now turn with pleasure to a little package 
of letters written during this period, which show 
us Mary's inner life yet more fully. The first bears 
date 

" Thanksgiving, 1863. 

" Our passage out was very fine, the weather 
beautiful and clear nearly all the time, and O ! the 
moonlight nights upon the sea. It would be no 
use for me to attempt to describe them, or my 
emotions while enjoying them; only I felt like 
holding my breath and praising Him. 

" My first view of the city in detail was from 
the deck of the steamer, and in the distance on the 
wharf were seen two circuses in full operation, and 
this on Sunday! Ah me, I thought, what a 
wicked city ! 

"My cough is better, but not well: I doubt 
whether it ever will leave me entirely." 



136 EARLY CROWNED. 

"December 8. 

"I thank you, dear father, for your loving and 
interesting letter, which I received this morning. 
It was not my intention to write to you by this 
steamer, but the impulse to do so is irresistible, 
and most gladly do I obey it. Last Sabbath I 
went to the Baptist church twice ; cousin Annie B. 
is delighted with the prospect of having a c Union 
Methodist Church ' in town, and she and I intend 
to hunt up Bishop Ames and see whether we can 
help him. 

" Pa, do not throw away your talents in the pur- 
suit of wealth, but think how much we will glory 
if at the day of reckoning Christ will award such 
words to you, c Well done, good and faithful serv- 
ant.' Have you ever tried to imagine what your 
emotions would be when standing before the 
throne, and receiving words of commendation from 
the lips of Him whom we adore ? 

"This city is a hard place to be good in, but 
' Lead me not into temptation, 5 is my daily prayer. 
1 hope to pass through the furnace of exposure and 
trial without so much as a hair of my head singed, 
or the smell of sin upon my garments. God bless 
and keep us evermore. 

" Ever your own " Mary." 



EARLY CKOWNED. 187 

"December 11. 

"The Friday after I came here a young lady 
spent the day with us, and a little more than a 
week after we attended her funeral. She was 
taken, Saturday morning, with a congestive chill, 
and in thirty-six hours she died — died the day she 
was nineteen. 

" The deaths in this climate are so sudden that 
we fear and tremble from day to day. But the 
same great Love that has brought me here will 
take me safely home; such is my faith. My 
heart sinks with shame when I remember the small 
return I make for this ocean of love divine. 5 Tis 
even as one has said: 'Thy love has been as a 
shower, the return but a dew-drop, and that dew- 
drop stained by sin.' 

" This city is perfectly terrible with its wicked 
ness ; there is no regard for the Sabbath, and balls 
and theaters seem to be attended on that day in 
preference to another. 

" I should not be at all surprised if I remained 
here all winter, for my cough has improved but 
little, and this week I received word from pa to 
remain until he sent more explicit word, unless I 
was quite well. My mother seems rather poorly 
all the time, and that troubles me, for you know 



138 EARLY CROWNED. 

a daughters yearning over a sick mother burdened 
with cares. 

" God bless you, my friend." 

" December 26. 

" Another aged one passed into eternity ! An- 
other tie to bind you there. ' O say, will you go 
to the Eden above ? ' Louise, it may be that I 
will reach that happy place before you ; the future 
is vailed from our view ; but I have a yearning, O 
so deep ! to be perfectly good, and it can only be 
secured in heaven. Never before has strength 
from above been more needed by me than now, 
*and it seems as if — yes, I am sure I never felt 
that strength so great as I do now. O if I only 
can do good! Example will speak louder than 
words here ; I want to be like an anagram, read 
up and down, and all ways the same — no incon- 
sistency. 

" Some of my friends are trying to persuade me 
to go to, the opera, and they insist that it wil' not 
hurt me. But the more they insist, so much the 
more I am determined not to go. My conscience 
condemns the amusement as sinful, and though I 
would give anything to hear the music if it was 
right, yet I will not go. 

"We enjoyed our Christmas very well, though 



EAKLY CROWNED. 139 

all our company were strangers in a strange land. 
How strange it must have seemed at home to have 
no Mary, no Charlie, and more than likely no 
father, for I hope to see pa here by Sunday or next 
day. 

" May a happy New Year be yours ! " 

" January 2, 1864. 

"Dearest Charlie: You know as well as I 
how many things we have to praise God for in re- 
viewing 1863. I hope, and shall try with all the 
powers given me, to exert an influence for good 
wherever I go ; and I do hope that some good may* 
come of my stay here. 

" As yet I have not identified myself with any 
particular Sunday-school, but think I will help Mrs. 
H. in one for colored children. So imagine your 
brilliant sister busily engaged in teaching colored 
ideas how to find the way to heaven. 

" Have you ever carefully read the nineteenth 
Psalm, especially the last four verses: ' Who 
can understand his errors ? Cleanse Thou me 
from secret faults. Let the words of my mouth, 
and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable 
in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my re- 
deemer.' " 



140 EARLY CROWNED. 

" January 15. 

" It is decided that New Orleans is to be my 
home until May. I've been here two months, and 
the days have passed c as a tale that is told.' My 
cough is abating, and under the blessing of a kind 
Father I hope to be well ere long. 

" My love to all, and God bless you." 



" Dear Charlie : I believe God will make me 
the means of doing some good; at least, all here 
seem to have the impression that I am a Christian 
girl, and O ! may the Lord help me to maintain a 
consistent Christian character. There is the rub — 
inconsistency. 

" Well, with a strong reliance on my kind 
Father in heaven, I feel ready to battle with the 
world, the flesh, and the devil." 

" January 30. 

" What a blessed thing that the Holy Spirit is 
adapted to every want and every phase of experi 
ence. I have often realized it, and so have you. 

" I have been reading a book that uncle gave me 
on Christmas, entitled c The Corner-Stone,' by Jacob 
Abbott, in which he discusses the principal features 
of our Saviour's character ; and especially this : 



EARLY CKOWNED. 141 

( Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again.' 
About his Father's business, he was bold, courage- 
ous, persevering; but as soon as he himself was in- 
jured it was of so little moment that he passed by it 
with scarcely a thought. I never before realized 
so clearly the difference between the two points. 

"You ask me if I do not think that we increase 
in favor of man, if we do with God. No. I think 
not always; for gaining higher favor with God, it 
necessarily follows that our pursuits and tastes will 
differ from the majority of the world's, and there 
will arise unkind remarks about self-righteousness, 
etc. ; but in the end man's admiration and respect 
will be gained, don't you think so, Louise ? Even 
the most depraved cannot but respect a real good 
person. 

" Wednesday evening we went to call on Mrs. 
General Banks, but she was out, so we spent the 
evening with a friend of Annie's. Yesterday wo 
were all invited out to dinner. To-night we aie 
going to a concert, so you see our time is pretty 
well occupied either with company or going out. 
I like it very well ; but the thought comes, Am I 
doing any good ? But a silent influence for good 
cannot but emanate from me if I am pure and 
holy." 



142 - EARLY CROWNED. 

To Miss P., who was residing in New Orleans : 

" February 1. 

" Did you enjoy yesterday ? It was a pretty 
busy day with me. The children and I, by dint of 
great exertion, started off for Sunday-school in F- 
street ; we wended our way until we reached the 
church. Sublime disorder reigned within the 
school-room, in strange contrast with the sweet 
Sabbath peace without. You know how lovely 
it all was, the bright sunshine and the balmy, deli- 
cious air breathing a blessing directly upon us 
from our Father. I felt so happy and peaceful, 
for I knew that my Saviour looked down and 
smiled. 

"The school, I hope, will be improved in a few 
Sundays when we get fairly established. The 
infant class may be my position, and if so, God 
help me to do them some good. My litle colored 
scholars amuse me, and at the same time I like to 
teach them, they are so bright, and make such 
comical remarks. 

" May God help us both to fill up the measure 
of our existence with good deeds and holy influ- 
ences, and in his own good time take us home to 
himself. O what exquisite pleasure in this idea 
and certainty of perfect rest ! Yours ever." 



EARLY OEOWNED. 143 

The following was found after Mary's death in 
her portfolio : 

"New Okleaxs, February 13, 1864. 
" How strange ! Nearly three months since I 
left home, and how has it fired with me since then ? 
Have I the same guileless trusting heart that was 
within me when I came ? Much more of worldly 
experience has been mine during these three 
months than ever before, and can I say truly that 
the world has left no taint upon me ? Heavenly 
Father, thou knowest that I am passing through 
the furnace ! but beside me there is one having the 
form of the Son of God, and gently but firmly up- 
held by him, my garments will not have so much 
as the smell of sin upon them. O keep me, for I 
am very weak ; but thou hast said, ' He will give 
his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy 
ways ; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, 
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.' I come 
to-night into my closet, where no eye can see, and 
dare to claim an interview with thee, Father of 
light and life. O my Saviour, meet me, and take 
this poor doubting sinful heart, and tenderly pour 
the balm of Gilead upon it. Remove everything 
that may in any way interfere with thy supremacy 
there, even the dearest of earthly affection, if need 



144 EAELY CKOWNED. 

be. But O Father, is there a ' need-be ? ' Cannot 
I yield to the siren's power without sinning ! No, 
no, I cannot, I must not ; for how could I stand at 
the bar of God and plead not guilty ? O Father, 
take the heart which, with humble faith, I cast 
upon thee, and cleanse its depths from all impurity 
for my Redeemer's sake. 

" To-morrow will be the holy Sabbath ; early in 
the morning I must rise and prepare my two dar- 
lings and myself for Sabbath-school, and may the 
Lord in mercy aid me in imparting instruction to 
the little ones who look so trustingly upon me. O 
my Father, grant me a blessing this night ! Amen." 

" New Orleans , February 19. 
"Dear Cousin Aitoie : For some weeks after I 
came it was so undecided whether I should remain 
or not, that I did not like to engage in a Sunday- 
school, for fear I should have to give it up right 
away ; but now the Sabbath is my busiest day. In 
the morning the two children and myself start for 
our own school, and there I have charge of the in- 
fant class, numbering about thirty, until eleven 
o'clock, when we go to church and remain there 
till half past twelve. At a quarter of one I go to 
a colored Sunday-school, and teach a class of near- 
ly twenty. So in all there are about fifty children 



EABLY CROWDED. 145 

spiritually under my care. Have you ever noticed 
iu the 'Sunday-School Bell' a hymn called fc The 
Teacher's Prayer,' beginning 

* Save all my children, Lord? * 

That is just the way I feel, and especially here, 
where I have to act alone, with no father nor 
mother to advise me. If ever I needed grace, it is 
now, and how glad I am to say it is given. I often 
think of this : that it is not so much what we actu- 
ally do for God that tells whether we are true 
Christians, as what we are. Religion must be in- 
terwoven with the very essence of our being, so 
that every thought, word, and action will bear its 
impress. Annie, dear, are we each as holy as we 
ought to be, when we remember how we have 
been brought up in the very lap of religion ? " 

"February 19. 

" Dear Flokexce : I believe a merciful Father 
whom we both love, and whose we are, will let me 
live to return home. 

" Did you ever think of the Bible representation 

of the love existing between David and Jonathan, 

which surpassed the love of women ? Do you not 

take it, that is considered the highest type of 

affection ? 

10 



146 EAKLY CROWNED. 

" Do you not find that you tire easily of these 
mere worldly pleasures? How poorly the soul 
would thrive if it had no better nor stronger food* 
Would there be any need of a heaven if we pos- 
sessed no higher capacity for enjoyment than mere 
physical pleasure ? I do not believe there would, 
for this earth would be heaven enough. 

" I have real nice times on Sunday teaching in 
two schools, having charge of about fifty children. 
I am so much happier with a large work to do." 

"March 4. 

" Louise : I sometimes don't know what to make 
of myself; I cannot tell whether it is want of in- 
terest or great peace which I experience, for most 
of the time there is no great fear or consciousness 
of sin, and I always try to have my motives pure 
and truthful, and to be guided by the word of God. 

" Father in heaven ! help me to be thy faithful, 
true child, and forgive all my sins. 

" Your image is often with me when I pray ; I 
wonder whether our souls meet in such an hour." 

" March 11. 
" O this glorious South, with its never-fading 
flowers and its sunny skies ! Every thing is full of 



EARLY CROWNED. 147 

impulse, and done with all its might, but no 
stability. 

" Day before yesterday it threatened rain in the 
morning, and before long the drops came, not cool 
and calculating like northern drops, but rushing 
headlong, pell-mell, and in two hours there was 
not a stepping-place but was covered with nearly a 
foot of water. It seemed as if a crevasse had 
visited the city, and we might easily have sailed 
through some of the streets in a flat-bottomed 
boat. I never saw anything equal to it in my life. 
And when the sun shines, it is with a strength that 
reminds you of haymaking in the hottest day of 
August. 

"The gardens are gloriously beautiful now, 
teeming with vegetation and beauty. Every letter 
that I write to the North contains a few mad 
rhapsodies about the 'bright weather and the 
flowers ; but I cannot help it, for, when I write my 
seat is by a window that overlooks our beautiful 
garden, and the influence or inspiration of it fills 
my whole soul, and my only safety-valve is in 
writing. 

"This winter has been a pleasant and peaceful 
one, though the experiences of course have been 
entirely new. I have seen and mingled a great 



148 EARLY CROWNED 

deal more with the world, and I tell you, not 
boastingly but thankfully, that the desire to deal 
entirely with pure and holy things is more intense 
than ever. It is harder to be good, because the 
temptation sometimes seems too strong to be re- 
sisted; but, thanks to a Christian training, I know 
where to go and freely draw new supplies of grace. 
" Teaching in Sabbath-school is a great pleasure ; 
when I see the dear children's faces turned so 
lovingly to me as their teacher, surely the reward 
would be sufficient, even without the consciousness 
that our Father in heaven approved." 

* "March 11. 

" Do you ever wonder what work God has for 
you to do ? Is your conviction still strong that 
you ought to enter the ministry? Sometimes it 
seems to me that God must have some great work 
for me to do, because my happiness up to this time 
has been almost uninterrupted, and it cannot be 
that it will always continue so without some par- 
ticular end in view. 

"Sometimes I long to plunge into something 
decided, but I know this — the greatest achieve- 
ments are more frequently in quiet life, and over 
little things ; so let patience have her perfect work 



EARLY CROWNED. 149 

11 March 17. 

"What a grand sublime sight is old ocean, and 
how intense the feeling of one's own helplessness 
and insignificance compared with the mighty power 
of that great body of water. I used to sit and 
watch the waves chasing each other, and the ever- 
restless waters lashing themselves furiously against 
the ship's side, as if incensed at the temerity of 
man in attempting to force his vessel through 
them. And I felt how great was the care of a 
mindful Father in preserving us in the midst of so 
much danger. On viewing the sunrise at sea, I 
could realize more than I ever did how ' God said, 
"Let there be light," and there was light.' 

"But, Ella, we enjoyed the most enchanting 
moonlight evenings that one could conceive. The 
evening we stopped at Havana gave me a better 
idea than I ever had before of the beauty of that 
comparison in which a soul at perfect peace is 
' calm as summer evenings be.' " 

"March 17. 

"I am very happy in one sense of the word; 
never was looking better ; my cough is pretty well 
cured ; I am surrounded by the dearest of friends, 
and more than all, Florence, the greatest of friends 
is mine. My Father and yours owns and blesses 



150 EARLY CROWNED 

me and calls me his child. These lines will run in 
my mind the whole time I am writing to you . 

1 'Tis not the whole of life to live, 
Nor all of death to die.' 

I do not know w T hat reminds me of them, but do 
you ever think of them? What object would 
there be in living if life closed when the spirit left 
the body ? No, we only fairly begin to live w T hen 
the River of Death is crossed. O, think of the 
countless ages which lie before the new-born soul ! 
and do you not think that each successive age in 
the spirit-world will find us more sanctified and 
etherealized, so that there is a nearer approach to 
Deity ? Or is the progress all made in this world, 
and when once launched into eternity do we re- 
main non-progressive, but of course in a state of 
perfect bliss compared with this earth ? " 

"March 25. 
" Dear Louise : I feel perfectly forlorn this 
morning, sick, weak, and, worse than all, home- 
sick. I have been quite well and improving nicely, 
but unfortunately on Sunday last I took a severe 
cold, which has settled all over me, and now my 
cough is just as bad as ever. Sometimes it seems 
as if I had been committing some dreadful wicked- 



EARLY CROWNED. 151 

ness, for which this hateful cough has been sent as 
a punishment; what specially I cannot see, but 
there is a 'need-be' in it, and although I may 
never know the reason, yet my kind Father knows 
what is best for his erring child. It is my firm 
conviction that I never will be well of this trouble ; 
I may and do get better, but not entirely. 

" How any one can prefer the belief of the anni- 
hilation of the soul to its transformation and puri- 
fication, seems wonderful. If I could feel a perfect 
certainty of my reward hereafter, care might be 
increased tenfold, and still it would be borne. 
How I like this little chant : 

1 Nearer, my God, to thee, 

Nearer to thee ; 
Even though it be a cross that raiseth me, 

Still all my song shall be 
Nearer my God to thee, nearer to thee.' 

" So another of our friends has gone to rest, Mr. 
B. We'll meet in heaven. O, Louise, do you feel 
afraid to die ? I do not ; if the Lord should call 
me this night my soul would respond, ' Even so, 
Lord Jesus, come quickly.' 

" Our friends, Messrs. K. and S., and H., who 
have been very kind to us this winter, left New 
Orleans last Saturday in the ' Eveniug Star ' for 



152 EARLY CROWNED. 

home. It makes me so impatient and homesick 

to see others going, and to think that my turn 

is not come yet. 

"Remember me to all, and God bless us both. 

Yours ever." 

"April 1, 1864. 

" My Darling Brother : What a beautiful re- 
lation is that existing between brother and sister. 
Have you ever thought that the whole glorified 
Church above will bear this same relation ? for there 
is neither marrying nor giving in marriage, and God 
will be our Father, and Christ our elder Brother. 
So it seems to me that our relation is one of the 
most sanctified. . 

" O may the Lord bless and keep my precious 
brother is my daily prayer ! " 

About the last of April Mary bade adieu to her 
friends in New Orleans, and took passage for home 
in a sailing vessel. This was recommended in 
preference to a steamer, as giving a longer voyage, 
which it was fondly hoped would complete her 
restoration to health. The only record which re- 
mains to us of her life during the voyage is the 
subjoined letter to her mother, written by a lady 
whose acquaintance with Mary was begun on board 
the "Winthrop:"' 



EARLY CROWNED. 153 

i{ My Dear Mrs. 1ST. : Although we started 
strangers on our journey homeward from the South, 
I gained an insight into Mary's character which 
only such an intimate mode of living as one expe- 
riences on shipboard could so soon give. From 
the first I was impressed with the sincerity of 
her Christian principles, and I ever felt that of her 
it could truly be said she 4 let her light shine before 
men.' She hesitated not, when opportunity offered, 
to speak of her hope as a Christian, and to recom- 
mend religion to others by her words and actions, 

" The trip at sea she enjoyed with all the childish 
enthusiasm of her nature, saying her spirit knew 
no bound to its delight. She would pace the deck 
by hours during the day, and when reclining at 
evening beneath the star-studded heavens, contem- 
plating the works of the great Divine, she would 
talk of his infinite power and love, and the duty 
of Christians to live above earth's fleeting joys, try- 
ing to impress others with the value of Christian 
living. 

a At one time, being grieved at the profanity 
among 'me officers of the ship, she went directly 
to the captain, and spoke to him in a kindly re- 
proving tone on the subject ; nor did her honesty 
of purpose and gentleness foil to have their effect 



154 EARLY CROWNED. 

On several occasions, in order to pass away the 
time pleasantly and profitably, we held Bible-class 
meetings among the few passengers, when Mary's 
knowledge of the Scriptures, in her ever-ready re- 
plies and references, proved that she was no stranger 
to its teachings, nor had she idly read the word of 
God. 

"Very often would she speak with tender affec- 
tion of her parents, and each member of the dear, 
happy home circle, rejoicing that so many had 
in early life been gathered into the Saviour's fold. 

" For her kindness in the wearisome hours of 
illness that were appointed to me, I cannot express 
my gratitude, for she constantly ministered to my 
wants, and watched with tender sisterly anxiety 
my every need till we reached our homes. 

U A strange Providence it seems that I, who 
then lay at death's door, should have been restored 
to health, while she, so much better during the 
voyage, should so soon have passed away, the anni- 
versary of our arrival in Xew York being the day 
of her death; but He doeth all things well. Her 
mission was ended ; she had finished the work her 
Father gave her to do, and she has been called to 
receive her reward. Though dead, she yet speak eth 
to us by her holy living and holy dying. (:*v;d 



EAELY CROWNED. 155 

grant that we, too, may die the death of the 
righteous. 

" Believe me your sincerely sympathizing friend, 

" Sophie B." 

And thus ends the simple story of a six months' 
away from home. The story is simple; but who 
can tell of the doubts and fears which troubled our 
Mary, when enfeebled in body and yearning for 
home and parents to protect and advise her. Her 
path was beset with temptations, flowery byways 
were open to her, and siren voices bade her enter 
with safety. But how simply she tells it, " I knew 
where to go for help and it never failed me." 
Truly the Lord was on her side, and they that were 
for her were more than all they that were against 
her. 

My young friend, have you chosen the Lord for 
your portion? Have you set him on your right 
hand, so that you shall not be moved ? " There 
are but two really happy states in this world, either 
that of the man who rejoices in the light of God's 
countenance, or that of him who mourns after it." 
Is yours the first ? Have you tasted and seen that 
the Lord is good ? O then be diligent ; the time is 
short ; bury not your talent in a napkin ; be faithful 



156 EAKLY CKQWNED. 

in the least, and great shall be your reward. But 
perhaps yours is the state of the man who mourns 
after the favor of God. O, rest not in all the plain 
till the appointed place be found where God 
shall bless you, and lift upon you the light of his 
countenance. 

We have sometimes almost regretted that so 
many of Mary's last days were spent away from 
us ; but if good w T as done by her precept and ex- 
ample, and if this memorial of her useful life shall 
lead one soul to the foot of the Lord, we can but 
rejoice. 

" And when that happy time shall come, 

Of endless peace and rest, 
We shall look back upon our path, 

And say it was the best." 



EARLY CKOWNED. 157 



OHAPTEE VIII. 

THE INVALID. 

Now I saw in my dream, that by this time the pilgrims were 
got over the Enchanted Ground, and entering into the country 
of Beulah, whose air was very sweet and pleasant. The way ly- 
ing directly through it, they solaced themselves there for a sea- 
son. In this country the sun shineth night and day : wherefore 
this was beyond the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and alsft 
out of the reach of Giant Despair ; neither could they from this 
place so much as see Doubting Castle. — Bu^tyak. 

" Askeidge, May 16. 
"Home at last, and O the joy of being here 
among those whom I can call my own ! On Satur- 
day morning I arrived safely in port, thanks to a 
kind Providence. Our trip home was very pro- 
pitious until the last two days. O, Florence, it is 
utterly impossible to express what one feels when 
surrounded by such an expanse of water, heaving 
and surging, ever restless ; and at night 'the heav- 
ens declare the glory of God, and the firmament 
showeth his handiwork.' ' Who is like unto thee, 
O Lord, among the gods ? Who is like unto thee, 
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing won- 
ders?' When I used to look on the stars at night, 



158 EARLY CROWNED. 

and gaze into their depths until my soul was lost 
in wonder, sweetly would come over my being the 
influence of the ' Star of Bethlehem.' 

* One star alone the Saviour speaks, 
It is the Star of Bethlehem.' ' ' 

" Asheidge, May 30. 

"Dear Cousin Annie: Home at last! Joy! 
joy ! It is really and truly so, that this child is at 
home. I have not the least difficulty in feeling the 
influence of home ; it makes me so happy and light- 
hearted once more to feel secure in this haven of 
rest, this refuge from sin. Two weeks ago last 
Saturday I arrived in New York. 

" The same beneficent Hand that has guided me 
safely through life thus far, gave us favorable 
winds and quiet seas, and on the morning of the 
sixteenth day we anchored in the harbor with the v 
sunlight shining clear. Dangers of the worst kind 
had beset our little vessel ; privateers in the Gulf, 
and one night in a squall our mizzen-topmast was 
snapped right off. Yet in the midst of all the 
Saviour walked, and t Peace, be still,' hushed every 
fear. 

" The most exquisite happiness filled my soul as 
I stood by the bulwarks of the vessel and looked 



EARLY CROWNED. 159 

at the' white crested heaving waters, eternally 
restless, and then turning my gaze upward be- 
held the heavens dark with clouds; but through 
them all I saw a star — it was the star of Beth- 
lehem. And O ! Annie, the thought that the Cre- 
ator of all that sublimity was my Father, gave 
me such perfect trust and peace that I never felt 
the slightest fear. 

u When I stepped suddenly in the ' office, 5 and 
my father, who was not expecting me that day, 
suddenly spied his rosy sailor-girl, the c Why, my 
daughter ! J and embrace which followed proved 
the depth of his love. And when the carriage 
brought me to the door of home the scene beggars 
description. The children performed wonderful 
evolutions ; ma and I cried ; and, O dear ! I knew 
that I was truly welcome. Yours ever." 

Mary's story of her home-coming is more inter- 
esting than any other's narrative, as showing her 
feelings of joy and thankfulness ; but a little incident 
which her father will never forget may find place 
here. As she entered her father's office on the 
morning of her arrival, after the first greeting he 
led her to a seat in a more private room, when, 
looking up in his face with an expression of serene 



•160 Early crowned. 

satisfaction, she said, "Pa, I have returned to you 
just as pure as when I left home; I am the same 
Mary." 

As soon as the first excitement of return was 
over Mary engaged in her wonted home duties, 
which had been interrupted by her previous ill 
health. The joy of the family was great at having 
their loved one restored to them, almost recovered ; 
but, alas ! they marked not that the rose-tint on 
her cheek was deeper than that of perfect health ; 
that her form grew thinner, and her step lighter 
and slower. The cough, to which all were now so 
much accustomed, seemed to change its character ; 
and almost insensibly it came to be not uncommon 
that sister's seat at breakfast would be vacant, and 
that the children should play quietly while Mary 
lay down after dinner. One little feature, how- 
ever, could not remain unnoticed: that one voice 
was no more heard in the song of praise at family 
worship, for Mary's cough debarred her from 
singing. Still we .could not think that she was 
to leave us. Grown doubly dear since a short 
separation, how could we bear to dream of a long 
farewell ! 

So in working, sewing, and entertaining friends ; 
in sweet home pleasures and innocent enjoyments, 



EARLY CROWNED. 161 * 

the summer days glided swiftly by. Ah, little did 
we then think how precious their memory would 
shortly be to us ! 

During this summer Mary enjoyed much horse- 
back exercise ; she had always been fond of it, and 
while in the South rode as often as circumstances 
would permit; but now returned to Romeo and 
her own loved hills, with one of her brothers for 
escort, who so earnestly entered into the sport as 
Mary? She and the pony understood each other 
perfectly, and although restless and troublesome 
with others, he was gentle and obedient to her. 
When other members of the family were out for 
a drive, she would frequently accompany the 
carriage on Romeo; and when the ground was 
level enough to admit of it, she would start off 
as on the wings of the wind, and one could hard- 
ly tell which was most exhilarated, the horse 
or his rider. The picture of the beautiful young 
lady on the white pony will long remain in the 
memory of the inhabitants of Scarborough and its 
vicinity. 

To Mary's letters again we turn, and find every 

line a mirror of herself. The first is to the friend 

who has written so lovingly of their intimacy on 

the voyage home. 

11 



162 EARLY CROWNED. 

" Ashtiidge, June 10. 

" My dear Sophie : We are not rich, but every 
needful luxury is supplied, and our home is made 
the happiest place on earth by our parents' love. 
Such a home is specially needed when there are so 
many boys. We have five, and we thank God the 
three older ones were safely inclosed within the 
Church's protection when very young. The other 
two are babies yet, being the youngest of the 
family. 

"How hard it is to do right so that no stum- 
bling-block may stand in the way of those dear 
brothers. But the source from whence all help 
comes is all-sufficient, and working through Christ, 
who strengthened me, I pray that the end may 
prove that my life has not been spent in vain. 
My heavenly Father knows that the most in- 
tense desire of my heart is to live uprightly. 
But, dear Sophie, I fear you will deem me ego- 
tistical to write so much of myself and our family. 
But you are an older sister, and have felt the 
same. 

" May our kind Father speedily restore you to 
perfect health ; and may the peace that passeth all 
understanding keep you and abide with you ever. 

"Tour friend "Mary." 



EARLY CROWNED. 163 

" Asheidge, June 29. 

" The month has passed very pleasantly since I've 
been home. You may imagine how busy the sew- 
ing, working, entertaining company, and thousand 
and one things which an oldest daughter finds to 
do, have kept me. 

" O, Florence, home is so pleasant ! Pa has made 
many improvements on the place, and then there is 
that eternal source of beauty, the ever-flowing 
river, which to both of us will be ' a joy forever.' 

" Two flowers in full bloom have been trans- 
planted from among your choice collection to the 
banks of the River of Life. Were they beautifully 
fragrant with the love of Christ, or though perfect 
in form, lacked they the c one thing needful ? ' 

" Our plants have been despoiled of their perfect 
numbers by the great Primer. Uncle Frank's little 
darling sleeps quietly in one of the Saviour's con- 
servatories ; but its essence, or life, is safely pre- 
served on high, awaiting the resurrection morn, 
when corruptible shall put on incorruption, and 
bloom in the glory of midsummer beauty." 

The following is to the same aged friend to 
whom Mary wrote once before going to New 
Orleans : 



164 EARLY CROWNED. 

11 July 27. 

" Dear Mrs. F. : If every action of your life 
resulted in as much good as your last letter has 
done me, how great will be your reward. Like 
water to a thirsty land, (which has been so forcibly 
impressed upon us recently,) so were your words 
of comfort and advice to my soul. 

" On Saturday last we returned from Middle- 
town, after having enjoyed a few days of unalloyed 
happiness. The commencement exercises were 
rather more interesting than two years since, or 
else I appreciated them better. In fact, almost 
everything that has occurred since my return home 
from the South has possessed a double interest in 
me. There is nothing in the world that renders 
home, and the thousand interests and circumstances 
connected with it, so valuable as the deprivation 
of them for a season. I never wish to leave- home 
again unless accompanied by some of its members. 

u How can any one have any other aim in life 
than that of doing good, and living in such a man- 
ner as will be acceptable to our heavenly Father ? 
Sometimes I fear that my anxiety to know the fu- 
ture becomes sinful. It seems as though there were 
latent powers within me struggling for exercise, 
and as yet nothing has drawn them out ; but ' what 



EAELY CROWNED. 165 

wilt Thou have me to do ? ' is my daily cry. Is it 
wrong, is it sinful for me to feel thus, or must these 
indefinite longings for something higher and nobler 
be stifled ? Is it not strange that we are not more 
earnest in our endeavors to become more holy and 
purified ? The great error of my own life has been 
too great confidence in my own strength. I had 
thought, and tried to believe, that my reliance was 
entirely upon divine strength ; but my merciful 
Father has opened my eyes, and shown me my 
weakness, and why in many cases, where I thought 
nothing could move me, I have slipped. And now 
with great trembling I live day by day, continu- 
ally praying, 4 Give me strength to live aright.' 
You say you hope to precede me to 'the better 
land.' O, Mrs. F., I almost doubt whether you 
will do so ; strange misgivings fill my heart ; I 
should not be at all surprised if the Lord took me 
first. I have the forerunner of disease upon me, 
and though there is no present dangei, still un- 
less I can speedily be cured, these robes of cor- 
ruption will soon be exchanged for those pure 
and holy ones in which I can see my Redeemer 
face to face. 

'How I long to be there, and its glories to share, 
And to lean on my Saviour's breast !' 



166 EARLY CROWNED. 

"Do not be alarmed by what I have said. My 
general health is good, and my cough much abated 
since my return home, and mother trusts to a 
strong constitution, aided by medicine, to conquer 
it entirely. 

" It fills me with gladness to know that your 
health is so good at present ; may the Lord con- 
tinue it so ! 

" May the Lord keep and preserve you, and 
grant you the riches of his grace. 

" Your Young Friend." 

" July 27. 
" And, Louise, the fact is, I feel very different 

now compared to former experiences. My confi- 
dence in myself is all gone, I trust; and now I 
look up and say, c Help, Lord, for I am poor and 
needy.' The desire to be purified from the slightest 
dross of evil grows more intense every hour. An 
aunt of mine has been visiting us, and she gave it 
as her opinion that my days on earth were almost 
numbered. I feel little faith in such predictions, 
but you know they must necessarily make me more 
thoughtful. Sometimes 'the blues' deal rather 
heavily with me, and it is all I can do to wear 
a cheerful countenance ; but if the Lord wills that 
my stay upon earth be short, I will be the last one 



EAELY CROWNED. 167 

to murmur at his righteous dispensations. Mrs. 
F. wrote me such a beautiful letter last week, full 
of Christian counsel and saintly experience. I have 
been answering it this morning. 
" God bless you, my dear friend." 

"Writing to her friend Florence, and referring to 
a recent affliction, she says : 

" It may be that your heart was not wholly given 
up to its rightful Lord; and lest you should set 
up another object of worship in opposition to 
him, this affliction has been sent upon you. O, 
Florence, the Lord grant that you may become 
as refined as silver, pure and holy under the awful 
scrutiny of an Omniscient Father. 

" Though the practice of writing ordinary let- 
ters on Sunday is decidedly wrong, still in such as 
this there surely can be no harm. Xow while I 
am writing, the sweet sounds of the piano and 
flute come floating on the Sabbath evening air, a 
faint reminder of that never-ending rest, where 
we shall on psaltery and harp ceaselessly praise 
our risen Lord and Christ. O to be faithful unto 
death! so that we may receive a crown of life. 
And you and I will walk hand in hand on the 
banks of the River of Life, clad in garments made 



168 EAELY CROWNED. 

white through the blood of our crucified Redeemer. 
O, Florence, can it be that such everlasting bless- 
edness is in store for us ? " 

"August 16. 
"Never, indeed, has a summer passed so pleasant- 
ly and, I trust, profitably. I look around on my 
happy home and my kind indulgent parents, and 
come to this conclusion : that no young lady ever 
had more to be thankful for than myself. And the 
fact of my unworthiness inspires within me an in- 
tense desire to devote all my energies toward a 
useful life, and so I will, God helping me." 

"August 20. 
" O how lovely is this evening J I am sitting by 
the front window, where I can see the beautiful 
sunset exhibiting in its brilliant colors the handi- 
work of God. c When I consider thy heavens, the 
work of thy fingers, the moon and stars which thou 
hast ordained, what is man, that thou art mindful of 
him, and the son of man that thou visitest him ? for 
thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, 
and hast crowned him with glory and honor.' I 
think we too often forget the great honor our 
heavenly Father has conferred upon us as his chil- 
dren and heirs — ' heirs of God, and joint heirs with 



EARLY CROWNED. 169 

our Lord Jesus Christ.' If we fully realized the 
responsibility resting upor> us as such, the sense of 
it would be an additional restraint against sin. O 
Lord, make us thine own children, thy righteous, 
holy daughters! 

" While on the camp-ground I attended a meet- 
ing where the definite object prayed for was holi- 
ness. And O how I prayed that self might be 
entirely immolated, and Christ and his will reign 
supreme ! And I was blessed in a measure, thanks 
be unto him." 

" August 31. 

" My Dear Mrs. F. : This summer has been one 
of the most pleasant that we have ever passed ; 
such is the verdict of the whole family. My 
father's business has been greatly prospered, so 
that every reasonable wish has been gratified ; 
then we have taken much pleasure in the society 
of many dear friends who have visited our home. 

"We children have had such nice time riding. 
Romeo is doing finely, and we believe will carry 
his gray hairs with honor to the grave. He is full 
of life and spirits, and though sometimes a little 
headstrong, yet when his mistress is on his back a 
due sense of his responsibility comes over him, and 
he behaves accordingly. We all love Romeo so 



170 EARLY CROWNED. 

much that pa says he will keep him as long as he 
lives, and when he dies bury him with honors.* 

"Surely no family ever had greater cause for 
thankfulness than we have, and we do all try to 
evince our gratitude to God by living godly lives ; 
but O we so often fail. 

"During camp-meeting I remained on the 
ground one day and attended a prayer-meeting 
for the promotion of holiness. If no one else was 
benefited I know that I was, in this way, that never 
before had I experienced such an intense longing 
to be perfect and pure in the eyes of a pure and 
holy God; and ever since I have been trying in 
God's strength to overcome self, and happily have 
succeeded in such a degree as fcas served to en- 
courage my poor weak heart. You cannot tell 
how much I longed to see you just about that 
time; it seemed as if a conversation with one so 
experienced as yourself would be such a comfort. 

" Your child in Christ, " Mary." 

u August 31. 
" My Dear Cousin : I suppose I must begin 
with the weather, that universal topic upon which 

* Poor Romeo died one Sabbath morning within a year after 
his mistress. 



EARLY CROWNED. 171 

the most illiterate are posted. Well, then, for the 
last two or three days it has been like September. 
How softly pure and cool the air is ! the sky and 
water so blue, and clouds so white, and everything 
looking grandly clear, and proclaiming c God is 
everywhere.' O, Annie, how you would enjoy it ! 
I think we who are Christians can appreciate 
nature more fully than others, for we can trace a 
loving Father's hand in all things. Have you 
ever thought, in looking at a bunch of flowers, 
how many ideas of perfect beauty the Creator 
must have ? Then pass from the vegetable king- 
dom to the animal, let your thought dwell on your 
own wonderful frame, and you will exclaim, c I am 
fearfully and wonderfully made ! ' and finally turn 
your eyes to the starry heavens and ponder the 
countless million* contained in the almost invisible 
nebulae ; we can all say, ' Great and manifold are 
thy works, O Lord! in wisdom hast thou made 
them all ! ' " 

In a letter written in September she says : 
iC How inexpressible it makes me feel to view 
God proclaimed in all his works. I see him in 
the hills, in the river, in everything. I feel, I 
think like David when he said, ' When I consider 



172 EARLY CROWDED. 

thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, what is 



man 



9' 



" Let us use for our motto ' the promotion of 
good within ourselves, and the advancement of 
God's glory.' We may prove to the world exam- 
ples of truth and fidelity, which will result in the 
saivation of some precious soul, and I know that 
you will strive with me unto this end." 

" September 4. 
" I trust, dear Florence, that this has been a 
peaceful, happy day for you, and that the blessings 
of God's bountiful hand have rested on you in 
abundant measure. Sweetly and busily has the 
day passed with me: busily in performing tho 
duties of daughter, nurse, and housekeeper; and 
sweetly in the enjoyment of a *great measure of 
that c perfect peace ' and the consciousness of 
sins forgiven, and trying to do right." 

"September 12. 
" Tou ought to use your influence to its utmost 
extent, for a word spoken in season may save a 
soul from death. I read a very pretty story the 
other day, of a young lady who gave a bookmark 
with a verse of Scripture on it to an ungodly man, 



EARLY CROWNED. 173 

and made hira promise that it should no., remain 
two days in the same place in his Bible. The 
result was, the Lord converted him from the error 
of his ways, and a revival of religion began, which 
was the means of bringing many into the fold of 
Christ. 

" O, my dear brother, try so to live that your 
most secret thoughts and actions might be exposed 
without your being ashamed of them ! But how 
few*of us would be willing to submit to such an 
ordeal ! " 

"September 24. 

"It is Saturday afternoon, the closing hours of 
another week, and I think it will be well closed, 
my dear friend, if I spend the time in a chat with 
you. I can hardly express the anxiety we have 
all felt for you since my return from visiting your 
sick-bed. It was a great disappointment to me to 
leave you so soon, but I could not see my way 
clear to remain any longer. To have staid with 
you, and nursed you as best I knew how, would 
have given me much pleasure. When I think of 
your dear face worn by sickness, yet smiling so 
gently on your loved ones, it is impossible to 
restrain the ache in my heart when the possibility 
of losing you flashes over me ; but I hope you are 



174 EARLY CROWNED 

quite well again, and that you will soon feel your 
accustomed strength. 

"It is very pleasant to leave home for a little 
time, and on returning be as heartily welcomed as 
Lila and I were. What dear loving parents we 
have, they take so much pleasure and interest in 
everything that concerns their children. Among 
my acquaintances I know one gentleman who won- 
ders why his children act so contrary, and take so 
little interest in his wishes. Why, I believe he nev- 
er went out with them, or tried to adapt himself to 
their capacities. How can he expect them to be as 
perfect and high-minded as he would desire, when 
he has taken so little personal interest in them? I 
thank God that we have had such good parents. 

" It has been so warm that the gentle patter 
of the rain this afternoon sounds very refreshing. 
The river, the hills beyond, the whole landscape is 
enveloped in clouds ; but far away there is a break 
in the dullness, with just enough blue sky to remind 
us that ' at evening time it shall be light.' How 
many sources of pleasure a Christian has in nature 
and her wonderful changes ! Some think this 
autumn season is so very melancholy, the saddest 
of the year ; but to me it seems a time of ripe- 
ness" or fullness, for then the finest fruits are 



EARLY CROWNED. 175 

gathered, and the season of hard labor is over. 
So a child of God, just in that state before he rests 
from his labors, is ripe in all the Christian graces, 
and ready for the enjoyment of heaven. 

"May every consolation which is afforded a 
needy, trusting soul be yours. I fervently thank 
God that he has granted you, according to his grace, 
to know the riches which his love contains, and 
that you so cheerfully abide his will. 

" Tour loving " Mary." 

" October 4. 
" Dear Charlie : Your last letter has been read 
and reread with such joy. Bless the Lord that 
you have such a heaven below. May the same 
blessings be ever yours, so that, alike in prosperity 
or adversity, ' Jesus all the day long will be your 
joy and your song. 5 " 

Mary's father and mother had determined to 
spend the winter in the city, and arrangements 
were accordingly made for leaving Ashridge about 
the beginning of Xovember. But the chilly winds 
of October began to have their effect on Mary's 
tender frame, and as her health commenced visibly 
to decline, the necessary preparations were hastened, 
that the family might be comfortably established 



176 EARLY CROWNED. 

before the winter had fairly set in. Still hopeful, 
for her trust and firm confidence was in the Lord, 
Mary assisted as much as possible with thoughtful- 
suggestions, and willing, though feeble hands. So 
the middle of October found the whole family, with 
the exception of the absent student, fairly settled 
for the winter with a Christian family in New York. 
The first object now to be labored for was the re- 
storation of Mary's health, and the second was the 
education of the boys. 

Though prohibited by her physician from attend- 
ing crowded meetings, going out in the night air, 
or exposing herself in the slightest degree, Mary 
made herself, O so happy at home. Naturally of a 
cheerful disposition, by the power of divine grace 
she had hitherto been able, even in hours of weak- 
ness and suffering, to maintain that command of 
herself which had won the admiration of all ; but 
disease had now so enfeebled her whole frame, that 
it became a daily self-denial and cross-bearing to 
preserve that equanimity of temper and serenitv 
of mind which had always been so characteristically 
her own. True, she had her moments of despond- 
ency and sadness as the thought would come that 
her " sickness was unto death ; " but her manner in 
the family was so cheerful that few knew of the 



EARLY CROWNED. 177 

heart-struggles in her hours of retirement ; and 
those who admired her lovely uncomplaining spirit, 
thought not of the weary night-watches, when, un- 
able to sleep, she tossed from side to side, praying 
for patience, and pleading for strength to do and 
suffer all her heavenly Father's will. 

In a few letters written at the time she speaks 
freely of her hopes and fears : 

" October 26. 

" I am prohibited from going out this winter to 
any place where it will be crowded, even church ; 
so books will be my principal recreation. I am 
feeling pretty well the last few days, and am very 
much encouraged. Surely the prayers of my 
many friends will be answered. We are happily 
situated as a family, and ought to do a great deal 
of good," 

To another friend, speaking of her failing health, 
she says : 

" I have always been so well that it requires a 

strong will-power and a great amount of grace to 

be submissive, but God is showing me that ' he 

'directs my steps.' I have learned and accepted 

that ' he doeth all things well,' and now I believe 

from my inmost soul I can say, ' Thy will be done.' 

12 



178 EAKLY CKOWNED. 

For a time I did murmur ; but a change has come 
o'er the spirit of my dreams, and now " I have set 
the Lord always before me; because he is at my 
right hand I shall not be moved ; " and why should 
I murmur ? He will " show me the path of life," 
and " in his presence is fullness of joy, at his right 
hand are pleasures for evermore." 

"November 12. 
" My Dear Annie : Since coming to the city I 
feel much better and stronger. I hope that I may 
get well, and that God will favor the means used 
for my recovery. But I am in the early stages of 
consumption, and have a strong misgiving that 
earth will not be my abiding place much longer. 
Some days when I feel very weak, with hardly 
strength to climb one pair of stairs, I am very low- 
spirited ; and the thought of leaving earth, and all 
my loved ones, of relinquishing all my hopes for 
future usefulness, drives me almost crazy, and my 
heart has rebelled against my just and righteous 
Father. Recently the Lord has led me to see that 
' He doeth all things well,' and now I can say and 
feel ' his will be done.' Being sick so much this 
last year has unnerved me, so that it seems as if the ' 
least thing irritates me. O, Annie, great patience 
should be used with those who are usually unwell. 



EARLY CROWNED. 179 

I never thought it would weaken one's self-control 
so much. If the Lord will let me live how I will 
work for. him; but if otherwise ordained, how 
happy I shall be to sit in the fullness of joy at his 
right hand," 

"December 27. 
" The Christmas gift which pleased me most was 
a picture of ' Faith standing before the Cross.' A 
holy influence seems to steal over me while gazing 
at it ; that holy blood-stained cross where we may 
come and have our sins removed. Last Sunday I 
heard a sermon by Dr. M'Clintock on ' Forgive us 
our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass 
against us.' In recounting our sins he said that 
many faults which we tried to excuse as attribut- 
able to weakness, habit, or circumstances, in the 
eye of a pure and holy God would still be positive 
sin ; and that view of it came home to me, for 
since my illness has so affected my whole body, I 
find there has been a change in my moral nature, 
Self-control I can hardly exercise, and too fre- 
quently I give way to irritability. I have tried to 
excuse it on the ground of weakness ; but that ser- 
mon, with God's blessing, has opened my eyes, so 
I will pray for that grace which is sufficient for all 
things? 



180 EARLY CROWNED. 

On first coming to the city Mary had been 
anxious that we should review our former meta- 
physical studies, and we accordingly began with 
"Cousin's Elements of Psychology," alternately 
visiting each other's house for this purpose. The 
weather, however, soon became too severe and 
Mary too feeble to continue with any regularity 
the course we wished, and she was obliged to 
change her plans. At the invitation of our former 
teacher, Dr. V. 1ST., we attended a course of lectures 
at his school, and Mary took much delight in thus, 
as it were, renewing her school-days. My hasten- 
ing to the house to find her carefully and slowly 
dressing for our walk ; the walk itself up Madison 
Avenue, both of us so happy, yet my joy mixed 
with sadness as I marked daily increasing feeble- 
ness ; the pause in the lobby to allow her to cough 
and recover her breath ; her eager entrance into 
our well-remembered study-hall, and the kindly 
greeting given to all she knew — how vividly do 
these things now come back to me ! and her ex- 
pectant face upturned to the lecturer, drinking in 
every word, and ever and anon by an inclination 
of the head, an appreciative glance to the friend at 
her side, or a pressure of the hand at some striking 
thought or suggestive passage. I remember once 



EARLY CROWNED. 181 

what Dr. D wight, whose theme that day was 
" Earnestness," spoke particularly of the frivolous 
manner in which many young ladies spent their 
time, when their school-days were over, in adorn- 
ing their persons and cultivating accomplishments 
only, instead of striving to be true Christian 
women. This lecture made a deep impression on 
Mary, who seemed unusually thoughtful on our 
way home. I said, " Dear, what did you think of 
the manner in which the doctor treated his subject 
to-day ? " She answered so simply, " I am glad I 
did not do my hair in double rolls this morning." 
Dear child ! so ready to make a personal applica- 
tion of every lesson. Would that more were as 
earnest in their life-work as yourself. 

Mary was very industrious through all her 
illness, and particularly so at this time, taking 
much delight in plain sewing as well as fancy 
work; and the slippers which she worked for her 
brothers' Christmas gifts, the knitted shawls for 
her mother and others, as well as the numerous 
presents she made for her friends, will long be 
cherished as the last work of those busy fingers, 
now so still and cold. 

Her mention of her brother's gift, "Faith at the 
Cross," recalls to my mind an incident related by 



182 EARLY CROWNED. 

her mother. She had brought from New Orleans 
a cross made of natural flowers, the work of a 
friend there; and shortly after New Tear's, a 
young lady boarding in the same house gave Mary 
a raised cross constructed in a most beautiful 
manner. One day, after an unusual paroxysm of 
coughing, on lifting her head her glance rested on 
the two crosses on the mantle, and then turning to 
gaze on her brother's gift, with an expressive ges- 
ture she said, " Ma, three crosses, but where is the 
crown?" O, loved one, thou didst not know how 
soon that crown of righteousness, already laid up 
for thee by thy Lord himself, would be placed upon 
thy brow ! 

In ' the early part of February a change was 
deemed necessary, and Mary journeyed to the home 
of an uncle in Passaic. From this pleasant retreat, 
here are two letters : 

"Passaic, February 13, 1865. 

" My dear Friexd : The place from which this 
is written may surprise you, but I am spending a 
little time with my uncle, Dr. H., both my parents 
and himself thinking a change of air would be bene- 
ficial. This village is a quaint old place, settled 
more than a hundred years ago by Dutch farmers. 
In driving in this vicinity we have seen some 



EAELY CEOWNED. 183 

ancient stone farm-houses, and there is one which 
bears date 1715. My uncle has lived here more 
than ten years, and has a large country mansion. 
His family is of the same size as our own — eight 
children. It seems home-like to be here, for there 
are so many boy cousins, about the same age as 
my own dear brothers. They are all so kind to 
me that I am in a fair way to be spoiled. Why it 
is my fortune to have so many kind and loving 
friends, I do not understand. If my friends knew 
the wickedness and willfulness of my heart and life, 
they would, I fear, seek a worthier object. But 
weak and sinful as I am, I can truly say that I try 
to be sincere in all I do. I am very comfortable 
at present, and have great hopes of getting quite 
well. The coming months of March, April, and 
May, will be the most trying to one with my 
trouble, and if I can pass safely through them I 
may quite recover. I know that you will give me 
your prayers that the good Lord would grant this 
great desire of my heart. 

" You ask what I have read this winter : I have 
been exceedingly interested in the 'Schonberg- 
Cotta' series. We have all the five. I agree with 
you that the c Chronicles' are decidedly the best, 
though all are very interesting." 



184 EARLY CROWNED. 

" Passaic, February 14. 

" Dear Louise : They are all so kind and loving 
to me here, that sometimes a sense of great un- 
worthiness comes over me when I receive any new 
mark of affection 

" I must assure you of an improvement in health, 
appetite, and spirits ; and praying our Father in 
heaven to bless you abundantly, 

" I am your own loving " Mary." 

On her return from P. a pleasant tour was pro- 
jected by her parents to Maryland, via Baltimore 
and Washington, in hope that a sojourn in a milder 
climate during our inclement spring season would 
aid the efforts to prolong the life of their much- 
loved child. The last afternoon before she left the 
city it was my privilege to spend with her; and 
though her affectionate farewell almost overcame 
me, I could not think that when next we met all 
that would be left would be but the shadow of my 
beautiful Mary. 

The last letter received by me from Maryland 
is inserted almost entire : 

" Westminster, March 21. 

" Have you expected a letter from me ere this, 
my dear Louise ? How many times have I felt the 
impulse to sit down and write to you, but oppor- 



EARLY CROWNED. 185 

tunity or strength was wanting ; so you have been 
neglected until now. Our journey thus far has 
been very pleasant. ISTew scenes always possess a 
charm for me, and then the companionship of my 
dear parents has been delightful. In one week we 
did up Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington 
" brown," as pa would say. In the cars there was 
a great deal to amuse us. You know any one pos- 
sessing a funny streak can find endless amusement 
in a car full of characters. ... I think Baltimore 
the nicest city we visited. It is much larger than 
I had supposed, and very picturesquely situated on 
several hills. On the top of one is the celebrated 
Washington Monument, built of white marble. In 
the streets around the monument are princely resi- 
dences. . . . The city altogether is one of the most 
beautiful I ever saw. I must not forget to tell 
you that the streets are very clean. Washington 
is the dirtiest city we were in, and you would not 
wonder if you could see the immense trains of 
army wagons continually passing through the 
principal streets, and the number of military, both 
cavalry and infantry, and such immense crowds of 
strangers ; it is either dust or mud all the time. 
Our visit to the Capitol was very interesting ; such 
a magnificent dome towering up toward heaven, 



186 EARLY CROWNED. 

and the great colonnades with double rows of im- 
mense marble columns ! But the interior is much 
more beautiful. The ceilings are frescoed and 
gilded in the most elegant style, the floors inlaid 
in the rarest mosaics ; the immense staircases are 
made of different kinds of marble ; one of white 
marble was very beautiful. One piece of art ex- 
celled anything I ever saw, a pair of doors cast in 
bronze, and the principal scenes in the life of 
Columbus, from his birth to his death, depicted on 
them. They were cast in Europe. 

" I bore the journey as well as could be ex- 
pected, but was pretty well tired by the time I 
reached this place. However, now that I am 
nicely settled with my cousins, my health is begin- 
ning to revive. Yesterday Cousin John and I took 
a ride on horseback. We were gone an hour, and 
traveled the great distance of one mile and a half. 
Rather different from my former experiences with 
Romeo, is it not ? 

" Dear friend, still remember me in your prayers, 
and rest assured of my undiminished love. Do 
write often and keep me from getting homesick, 
for I shall miss ma so much when she leaves me. 
God ever bless you, dearest friend, is the prayer of 
your " Mary." 



EARLY CROWNED. 187 

One little incident which occurred on the jour- 
ney is brought to iny mind just here. On her 
visit to the Capitol, of which she wrote to me with 
so much pleasure, after viewing the interior and 
coming down the front steps, she requested of her 
father that she might ascend on the other side and 
see the beautiful landscape of which she had heard 
so much. Her father tried to dissuade her from the 
attempt, fearing it would quite exhaust her, but 
she urged her wish till he consented. 

Slowly and feebly, leaning on her father's arm, 
she at length gained the top, and turning to gaze 
on the lovely view, stood in rapt wonder and 
pleasure till the tears filled her eyes. Then mov- 
ing closer to her mother's side, she softly said, 
"It will be something pleasant for me to remem- 
ber by and by. Let us go now, pa." Did she think 
of the weary hours of pain and languishing which 
were just before her ? 

The story of her stay in Westminster has been 
written by an abler pen, that of Rev. John A. 
Munroe, the friend and relative with whom she 
sojourned there. He says : 

" Being informed that a memorial of Cousin 
Mary is being prepared, I am happy to give some 



188 EARLY CROWNED. 

account of her latter days, as passed among 
us. That she came to us about the middle of 
March, and remained until within a week of her 
death, seems like a special act of favor toward us 
on the part of Providence : for she came to our 
home as comes a sweet melody ; she lingered as do 
the successive cadences of delightful music ; she 
departed as recede the gentle strains of harmony, 
whose echoes remain, a perpetual melody in our 
hearts. 

" I recall her sojourn. How vivid ! how like a 
present reality ! Such features of her stay with us 
as seemed to reveal the progress or arrest of dis- 
ease in her body, traced themselves deeply on the 
sympathies of my nature. I greatly rejoiced as 
she seemed to gather strength, after recovering 
from the fatigue of her journey from New York 
and Washington. After several weeks, even, she 
herself frequently spoke hopefully of a recovery, 
and talked much of a pleasant future. The open- 
ing of the spring seemed to awaken, for a brief 
time, these hopes. When she talked of the gar- 
den and flowers at home, she coupled with her 
desires and plans for them, desires and plans also 
for all the objects around, and inmates of, "Ash- 
ridge." This became especially noticeable and 



EAKLY CKOWNED. 189 

pleasant to me, because I based on it a hope that 
there was a change for the better in her physical 
condition. This is a feature of her life which I 
regret was lost to her parents and her home — this 
brief season, when she seemed to have wandered 
aside from that path leading mo ay from earth, into 
a new path, full of the flowers of spring, gay with 
its birds and fresh with its atmosphere. 

"It would have been a pleasure to you to see 
again, even as a passing vision, the buoyancy, the 
almost bounding life of Mary, reminding me of 
her days of health. 

" She enjoyed greatly driving into the country. 
After two trials at horseback exercise, she yielded 
to my belief that it was too exhausting for her, 
and most cheerfully substituted carriage riding. 
On every bright day she expected one of these 
drives, anticipating them with much pleasure. 
During them she was unusually lively and com- 
municative. Her enthusiasm over the scenery was 
charming and contagious. The blue hills in the 
distance suddenly sweeping into view, or the 
green wheat fields, nestling happily here and there, 
as if in favored spots, or some other feature among 
the rather meager ones of early spring, called 
forth impulsive expressions of delight. 



190 EARLY CROWNED. 

"When thus moved by the influence of the 
scenery, she loved to converse on some of the 
many topics naturally suggested under such cir- 
cumstances to a Christian mind, and generally 
showed a joyous recognition of the same God in 
nature as in her own heart. Her love of sacred 
poetry was, on one such occasion, well defined. 
We helped each other recall many beloved hymns. 
Among them were these : " From all that dwell 
below the skies;" " The spacious firmament on 
high ; " " Before Jehovah's awful throne." One 
hymn she spoke of as especially pleasing in her 
communings with nature : " There seems a voice in 
every gale." She repeated it word by word, and 
it was beautifully appropriate, and feelingly 
recited. 

" Even grace stands by in approving silence, 
unwilling to restrain the swelling of the heart and 
the falling of the tear, when we turn from this 
scene of life and promise to the change which fol- 
lows, a harbinger of that scene or of those cir- 
cumstances which made Jesus iceep. While we 
knew it not, the destroyer was preparing for a sad, 
a fatal blow. 

" Suddenly, unexpectedly, there comes first a 
check, then a loss of strength. We regretted the 



EAELY CROWNED. 191 

check ; soon we mourned the little loss of strength ; 
ere long we feared a decline. Each day suggested 
new hope against hope, only to disappoint ; suc- 
ceeding days increased our fears, and made the 
aching of the heart more painful. We wrote to 
her parents once, twice, thrice, but could not say, 
4 Come,' for it seemed like saying some sadder 
word. 

" Meanwhile Mary was calm, resigned, and 
cheerful, only she grew somewhat weaker each 
two or three days. At first the pleasant drives 
must be postponed, the little walks omitted; the 
'good-mornings' were given in bed, instead of 
coming from Cousin Mary toileted and ready to 
walk down to breakfast, as had been her custom. 
Her seat at the dinner-table next became some- 
times vacant, and the cordial welcome she gave me 
when school labors were over must now be re- 
ceived up stairs. 

Cc Her decline was comparatively gradual until 
within two days of her parents' arrival. During 
those days and the three following before she left 
us, terribly rapid was the change in feature, cough, 
and strength. 

" Her suffering was extreme, her nerves hourly 
becoming weaker ; slight exertion brought on spasms 



192 EARLY CROWlsTED. 

of torture in her 'spine. These spasms frequently 
broke her rest at night. On Friday, the day her 
mother and father came for her, the change seemed 
so marked that it was as if she had, while we gazed 
at her, suddenly placed one foot in the grave, and 
then lingered a few days in the consciousness of 
her position. We parted with her on Monday 
with the conviction that her life was ebbing away 
by the hour, though our hearts failed us to express 
that conviction to her parents, God having happily 
relieved us of a burden, in the assurance that his 
tender love and indulgence would permit her to 
live to bid adieu to brothers, sisters, and home. 
Not until two weeks before the time of her de- 
parture did I ever cease to hojoe for Mary's partial 
if not complete recovery. After that I treasured 
up every word, act, and look, as of one soon to join 
the angels. 

" The social features of Mary's sojourn are also 
very visibly impressed upon my memory. Though 
no one could receive the impression that she was 
by nature a great talker, all felt free to seek the 
pleasures of her conversation. 

" She was a minute observer and an intense 
sympathizer. All the family amusements and en- 
tertainments were exceedingly interesting to her. 



EAELY CROWNED. 193 

Her imagination was frequently surprising, and 
there was almost a childish simplicity in her love 
of innocent amusement and fun. Once she was 
wearied from participating in the entertainments 
of the evening, and was reclining on the sofa, 
when she heard great merriment in an adjoining 
apartment. I remember the twinkle in her eye 
and the quiet laugh as she stood in the doorway 
for some time looking at the laughing group, not 
having been able to resist the impulse which 
prompted her to leave the embracing sofa and 
walk across the hall, that she might see as well as 
hear those merry ones. 

" She would sit quietly and observe one member 
of the family, who was a famous tease, amuse him- 
self in his peculiar way, and then suddenly and 
with great animation she would go to the assist- 
ance of the weaker party. Many times has she 
amused us by her earnest efforts at assisting thus. 
On these occasions there was a commingling of 
dignity and fun, of goodness and mirthfulness, such 
as can seldom be seen. 

" The attentions Mary received did not lose 
their value in her estimation because she be- 
came an object of attention, and unable to help 

herself. From the young ladies of my school she 
13 



194 EARLY CROWNED. 

received many bouquets and collections of mosses 
and grasses, which gave her great pleasure, and 
called forth expressions of gratitude. Mingled 
with all her intercourse there was a refinement of 
feeling and a spirit of purity always and keenly 
felt. 

" She lost no opportunity of enforcing moral and 
religious truth ; but her checks and reproofs were 
given in such a manner that none could ever wish 
they had not been received, though regretting the 
occasion for them. 

" I found her on one occasion, with a company 
of young ladies around her, trying to impress upon 
them some important religious duty. The mem- 
bers of my class-meeting found great pleasure in 
coming to the house, on one occasion, that she 
might meet with us. The perfect resignation, 
trust, and peace indicated in her remarks affected 
several to tears. 

" In thought and communion I think Mary lived 
much in heaven. She was alone a good deal, and 
in quiet, during our school hours, and none may 
know the sacredness of some of those seasons. 
When I bought for Sabbath-school use some little 
Testaments, handsomely bound, and fastened with 
clasps, she desired one of them, remarking that 



EARLY CROWNED. 195 

she wanted to have one in her pocket, and always 
with her. 

" A prominent feature of her days here was her 
industry. She was never idle when feeling at all 
able to be profitably engaged. When not engaged 
in entertaining her friends or in reading, I always 
expected to find her sewing, or occupied with 
' fancy needle work.' 

"Another feature was her energy. She would 
not allow another to do for her what she could do 
for herself, unless from motives of gratifying one 
who desired to serve her. She performed every 
act of a complete toilet as long as strength re- 
mained, and except for the last few days of her 
visit here insisted on coming to the table to par- 
take regularly of her meals, though she was at 
times compelled to be excused from her chair that 
she might recline upon the sofa. Her persistent 
letter-writing was a source of uneasiness to us ; 
but it was useless to object unless we ourselves 
took her place as correspondent. She was devot- 
edly attached to several friends, with whom, as 
well as with you and the children, she continued 
until the last a prompt and regular correspondence. 

" To me there was a peculiar and always present 
attractiveness about dear Mary from the moment 



196 EARLY CROWNED. 

she entered our home until I gave her my last fare- 
well. I would often forget the little life-burdens, 
and have its little heart-chills melted down in con- 
versation with her. The beautiful in thought and 
the purifying in feeling, the joyousness of hope and 
the peacefulness of faith, often came to me in our 
intercourse. 

" I was accustomed to ask while Mary was with 
us, and I often ask now, what was this peculiar 
attractiveness drawing all to Mary ? Was it sym- 
pathy for her, as the sensitive heart would give 
sympathy to the beautiful unfolding rose suddenly 
blasted and withering? or was it the charm of 
heaven already insinuating itself in her being, 
giving that soft spiritual power to her countenance, 
and imparting to her presence something of the 
silent, exalting influence of the higher life ? We 
thought not that so soon she would leave us all; 
yet sometimes I felt that she was being prepared 
either for a holier life here, or for a life which is 
altogether holiness. 

" We hang her image in our hearts and embalm 
her two months' life with us in our memories. 
We are so selfish as to thank God that he gave us 
so many of her latter days, days of development 
for heaven. 



EARLY CROWNED. 197 

" We use her presence in the spirit-world as a 
means of bringing heaven very near to us, for our 
late communication with her was not destroyed, 
but only modified by her bodily departure from us, 
and it seems that her freed spirit is now nearer us 
than when it was shut up in the wasting form that 
held it. 

" Beloved friend ! angel Mary ! we will not so 
much mourn for you as we will cultivate an ac- 
quaintance with you in your new sphere. We 
think of your happy departure, and rising with 
you on the wings of your triumph, we call you 
thrice blessed, for the bedside glimpses of glory 
were but the faintest dawnings of the day of 
heaven that then commenced breaking to your 
vision ; the clouds of mortality being swept away 
you c see Him as he is,' and you c know even as you 
are known. 5 " 

Even as the tear falls over this charming tribute 
to our dear one's worth, we must turn back a little 
in our narrative, and read her own story of her stay 
with her cousins. We linger long over these few 
letters, for they are the last which her feeble hand 
had strength to write, and we feel that to us they 
nave untold value. 



198 EARLY CROWJSTED. 

"March 28. 

" The other day I was sitting in an easy-chair, 
feeling very sick and dispirited, and so weak that I 
could scarcely get dressed, when pa came in and 
handed me your letter. After perusing it I felt 
much comforted, and could say from my heart, 
c Though He slay me yet will I trust in him.' How 
sweet is Christian sympathy ! I cling to your love 
so much now that I am an invalid. Friends are so 
kind and thoughtful here. 

" The weather has been perfectly lovely for 
several days, and it is wonderful what a change it 
makes in my feelings. Yesterday C. and I took a 
nice little ride to a hill not far distant, where there 
is a lovely prospect, and off in the horizon the out- 
lines of the ' Blue Ridge ' are clearly seen. Jt 
seemed strange that C. and I should be riding over 
the hills of Maryland ; but I have ceased to wonder 
at changes. Somehow, Aunt Etta, the conviction 
grows stronger with me every day, that the seal 
has been set upon my forehead, and I am numbered 
among those who will soon be in glory. I rejoice 
at the prospect of a speedy release ; but my con- 
stant prayer is, 'Lord, teach me not only to do but 
to suffer thy will.' And I would that affliction and 
weakness be continued if I may only be perfect. 



EARLY CROWNED. 199 

The Saviour does comfort me, and uphold my 
drooping spirit with his loving arm. Continue to 
pray much for your loving " Mary." 

"April 1. 
" Dear Cousin Annie : My health is very mis- 
erable; for three months my strength has failed 
very fast, until now I am but a shadow of my 
former self. I do not suffer much pain, though occa- 
sionally very severe attacks of pain in the left lung, 
or just below it, seize me, and render me very ill. 
But this racking cough is wearing my life away, 
and there is a general sinking of the whole system. 
In May I expect to go to Minnesota to spend some 
months ; that is, if I live, and I am so afraid I 
shall miss seeing you when you come East. C. is 
spending a part of his vacation with me, and how 
we enjoy each other's society ! We were sitting 
in the parlor this morning in company with a 
young lady, and suddenly she asked, c Where will 
we all be this time next year ? ' and like a flash it 
came to me, c your resting-place will be in heaven. 7 
And Annie, dear, I long to depart and be w T ith 
Christ ; ' for me to die is gain.' My life has been 
full of the richest blessings, and I had hoped that 
God would permit me to live and labor for him. 



200 EARLY CROWNED. 

But he chooses rather that I should suffer affliction 
and thus glorify his holy name. And I thank him 
that he keeps me generally cheerful and patient. 
" Yours ever, " Mary." 

"Aprils. 
" Dear Father : I feel like congratulating you 
all that the debt of Thirtieth-street is paid. Last 
Sabbath must indeed have been a day of rejoicing, 
and I am glad that the Church is free. May the gos- 
pel clarion ever ring out in clear tones, 4 Ho, every 
one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters ; and he 
that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat ; yea, 
come, buy wine and milk without money and with- 
out price.' Thirtieth-street has been the birthplace 
of many souls, and God grant that a countless num- 
ber may yet become the children of the kingdom 
through its influence. Have I not reason to remem- 
ber its altars, where nine years ago the Holy Spirit 
strove with me, and in accents sweet taught me to 
feel that Christ was waiting for me ? And I gave 
myself to him ; but not entirely. Else why this 
severe probation through which he is leading me ? 
He saw, when I fondly hoped that my whole heart 
was his, that there was something lacking, and he 
found it necessary to crush all earthly hopes by 



EARLY CROWNED. 201 

parsing roe through the furnace of affliction 
Now I humbly believe that he has full possession 
of my heart, and I have no other desire than to act 

his perfect will." 

"April 25. 

" I do long for home so much, but it is no use to 
be impatient ; and I feel contented most of the 
time. The Lord is with me, and I am happy in his 
love. Dear Louise, I cannot write much longer, 
I am so tired. Give my love to all. I am your 
loving "Mary." 

"April 29. 
" It is hard to do and suffer the Lord's will in 
everything ; but he has led me through deep waters, 
and his hand sustains me. ' Though he slay me, 
yet will I trust in him.' " 



202 EAELY CEOWNED. 



CHAPTER IX * 

"THE LAST OF EAKTH." 

11 * Sleep soft, beloved ! ' we sometimes say, 

But have no tune to charm away 

Sad dreams that through the eyelids creep. 

But never doleful dream again ; 

Shall break the happy siumber, when 

He giveth his beloved sleep." 

When Mary's parents, bidding her adieu, left her 
to the care of their kind relatives in Maryland, 
it was agreed that if she began to fail they were to 
be sent for. On Wednesday, May 3, they received 
the dispatch requesting them to come, and by Fri- 
day noon they were at her side. On entering her 
chamber the whole truth was revealed ; could this 
be indeed their Mary ? Their hearts were filled 
with sorrow, and hope at once fled. That sunken 
face would never again resume its wonted beauty, 
that emaciated body never regain its rounded 
form; nothing was left but to minister to her com- 
fort, and soothe her short journey to the brink of the 

* Most of the particulars contained in this chapter were fdr- 
lished by Mary's father. 



EAELY CKOWKED. 203 

river. But they could not see her die away from 
home; while strength lasted they must haste. 
Watching with intense interest all that day and 
weary night, they tried to alleviate her suffering 
and cool her fevered brow. Racked with incessant 
coughing spells throughout Friday night, the morn- 
ing found her faint and wearied, yet cheerful and 
serene. About nine o'clock her father prayed, sang, 
and conversed with her, apparently much to her 
comfort. She requested that the reading should be 
from the Gospels, remarking that lately she took 
especial pleasure in that portion of the Scripture. 
The hymn sung was of her own choice : 

" There is an hour of peaceful rest, 
To mourning wanderers given." 

The conversation was very interesting, her mind 
being so tranquil, and she seemed so submissive to 
the will of her heavenly Father. 

During Saturday and the following night she 
was in much pain and weakness, from continued 
fever and distressing cough, and could only talk in 
short sentences ; but on Sunday morning she was 
rather relieved, and as early as eight o'clock was 
ready to have her father read and converse with 
her. He selected 1 Corinthians xv, Paul's grand 



204 EARLY CROWNED. 

argument on the resurrection, to which she listened 
with fixed attention, and asked him to pause more 
than once while she analyzed the meaning of sev- 
eral passages. 

So severe had been her sufferings during the 
previous night that she called her father's attention 
to a passage in Psalm cxxx, "More than they 
that watch for the morning,' and said, £ Dear pa, 
I know what that means; how have I watched 
for the morning ! " 

On Monday morning she was dressed for the 
journey, and many prayers went up from anxious 
hearts that the Lord would support her till she 
reached her much-loved home. When prepared 
to start, with the fortitude and resolution that had 
always marked her character, she walked from the 
room, and putting her hand on the balustrade, 
would have descended the stairs without assist- 
ance, but found it necessary to lean on her fa- 
ther's arm. Attended by the dear friends from 
Westminster, they were soon seated in the cars 
and on their way to Baltimore, which they reached 
at one in the afternoon. On Tuesday morning the 
cars were taken for Philadelphia, where . they 
arrived late in the afternoon ; but on asking Mary 
if she would stop here, she declined, her only 



EARLY CROWNED. 205 

thought being 'home, home.' They accordingly 
hastened on, reaching Jersey City about sunset. 
Another night of suffering. O patient child, 'a 
little while ' and you l shall enter into rest.' 

In the morning the last stage of the journey was 
begun, and while waiting their arrival in the rail- 
road station, I saw them support my dear friend to 
the car. What a fearful change had those nine 
weeks made ! The look of suffering on her face 
was only less noticeable than the weary droop of 
the beautiful head, and the patient folding of the 
thin hands, and the lusterless eye seemed as if 
looking at " Him who is invisible." How she wel- 
comed me, saying in a slow whisper, " Come and 
see me soon, soon ; I have so much to say to you." 
I rejoiced to aid in comfortably seating her in the 
cars for the last two hours' ride, and stooping to 
kiss her, she said, "I want to get home — sweet 
home." That was my last sight of my friend. 

Other friends met the mournful party in the cars, 
and many a silent tear was dropped as they looked 
upon the dear invalid and memory recalled the 
beautiful vision of perfect health they had been 
wont to call Mary. On reaching Ashridge her 
father carried her into the sitting-room, where she 
greeted all the family, and afterward in those 



206 EARLY CROWNED. 

same loving arms was borne to her own lovely 
room. Of the fatigue consequent upon the hasty 
traveling it avails not now to speak; it seemed 
almost forgotten by Mary in her joy at being once 
more under her father's roof. Through Wednesday 
night and Thursday she suffered much, yet would 
insist on sitting in her easy chair and working on 
her embroidery. 

On Thursday night, while her nurse was at her 
bedside, Mary said to her, " Fanny, do you know 
the hymn called ' Wrestling Jacob ? ' " 

" Yes, I do," was Fanny's reply. 

" Well," said Mary, " this is it," pointing to her- 
self; "this represents wrestling till the break of 
day; no poetry can describe this," meaning her 
agony. 

Fanny then asked her how she felt ; she answered, 
" Peaceful," and presently sunk into a doze. 

On Friday morning she was tranquil, and sat up 
several hours, working a part of the time on a pair 
of slippers intended for a favorite uncle. While 
sitting in her easy chair she remarked to her 
mother, " Ma, if I feel as well on Sunday as I do 
now, I shall be able to go down stairs." In the 
afternoon, however, her sufferings were renewed, 
and continued with intensity during the long night. 



EARLY CROWNED. 207 

This was the period of her sharpest agony, und her 
parents were so engaged in trying to relieve her 
that very little conversation took place; indeed, 
they began to join her in prayer that her sufferings 
might be shortened. 

In the middle of the night, while in much bodily 
distress, she said to her nurse, " Fanny, I have 
just been wondering what I have done that I 
should suffer so." The nurse replied, " Tou know, 
dear, 'whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.'" 
"O yes," she answered, and presently dropped 
asleep. 

It was on the previous evening that the physi- 
cian had visited her, and she asked him to tell her 
candidly what he thought of her situation; but he 
evaded a direct answer. After he left, she said, 
"The doctor is like every body else, he has no 
hope." The nurse replied, "You know nothing 
is impossible with God; what did the doctor 
say?" "I asked him if there was any hope of my 
getting well, and he said, 'We'll see,' and said I 
could eat what I wished ; " and putting on a smile, 
she continued, " TJiis is impossible," meaning her 
recovery. 

On Saturday morning about six o'clock she fell 
into a quiet sleep, the first of any length she had 



208 EARLY CROWNED. 

enjoyed since noon of the day before. On waking, 
her mother read to her the ninetieth psalm, which 
was always a favorite of Mary's. Her cough h&i 
left her on Friday, so that now she suffered chiefly 
from weakness and shortness of breath. 

During the morning, while her grandmother was 
sitting beside her, Mary remarked, "I may strug- 
gle along through the summer, but I shall drop 
away in the fall ; I feel I have a great work to do." 

Her grandmother said, " What work, Mary ? " 

She replied, " To prepare my soul to enter into 
the heavenly rest." 

About the middle of the morning she was placed 
in the easy chair, at her own request, saying to her 
mother, "I wish to sit up just two hours;" then 
looking at the clock, " What shall I do these two 
hours ? I can't be idle." 

Her embroidery was brought, and she worked 
on it a few minutes at a time, till so exhausted it 
was taken from her hands. Before being placed 
in the chair she said to her mother, " Am I impa- 
tient ? I try not to be." 

She adhered to her purpose of sitting up for two 
hours, and at the end of that time requested to lie 
down, and feeling very weak, she said, " I am just 
like a babe." 



EARLY CROWNED. 209 

During the afternoon a kind young neighbor 
brought a beautiful bouquet of rare flowers, which 
afforded much pleasure, particularly the " lilies sf 
the \ alley," which she quickly discovered and 
pointed out, remarking upon their beauty and fra- 
grance. Late in the afternoon she desired to sit 
in her chair by the window, that she might look 
upon the lovely landscape bathed in the glory of 
the setting sun. It was but a momentary enjoy- 
ment, for she was seized with sudden weakness and 
shortness of breath which turned all attention to 
herself. After family prayers, which were held in 
ner room, arrangements were made for the night, 
and she seemed more comfortable, but hourly 
growing weaker. 

Soon after midnight, her parents having retired 
for a short rest, and her favorite nurse watching 
beside her, the following conversation took place : 

" Fanriy, do you think T have failed much since 
I came home ?" 

" Yes," replied Fanny, " I think you have." 

"Do you think I have been impatient? " 

" Why no, indeed. I think you bear your suffer- 
ings very well." 

" There is one* unfavorable symptom, Fanny, for 

I heard ma and Aunt Jane talking about it when 

14 



210 EARLY CROWNED. 

they thought I was asleep. My cough has left me. 
Do you really think I am worse ? " 

" Yes, dear, I do think you are very much worse; 
but how do you feel about yourself? how do you 
feel in your mind ? " 

Mary put out her hands and answered, "I feel 
perfectly happy, and if I die before morning, I 
know the Lord will take me home." And looking 
earnestly at Fanny, she added, "I hope I put on 
no vainglory, but I am loosed from every shackle 
of earth." 

She presently said, " This is Saturday night." 

Looking at the clock, Fanny replied, " We may 
call it Sunday morning." 

Mary continued, " If I am spared through the 
day, I will call all the family together to have a 
little talk with them." 

Then followed a conversation about distributing 
her "trinkets," as she called her little treasures. 
Afterward she said, " This is Sunday, and on Mon- 
day night Louise will come up, and then I want to 
have a good long time with her alone." 

Presently her Aunt Jane came to her bedside, 
and Mary asked her to read ; and when her aunt 
asked, "What shall I read?" Mary answered, 
" Some gospel truths." 



EARLY CROWNED. 211 

After that she slept quietly till five in the morn- 
ing, when, as she seemed sinking rapidly, the family 
were called in. 

Her mother, wishing to see if she was conscious 
of her condition, leaned over her and said, " Daugh- 
ter, do you remember the beautiful text Louisa 
sent you, l He giveth his beloved sleep ? ' " 

She replied, " Who is dead now ? " evidently not 
comprehending the remark. 

Her mother answered, " Nobody, but if it is 
the Lord's will to take you very soon, do you feel 
that ' He giveth his beloved sleep ? ' " 

Mary replied with emphasis, " Certainly, ma." 

She was now very weak and short of breath, 
and evidently understanding by the words and 
looks of all about her that they thought her death 
was near, she said to her mother " Ma, do you 
think I shall die to-day ? " 

" I do not know, dear, but I think you will." 

" This is unexpected," she said, manifesting sur- 
prise. " I thought I should linger several months." 

Her mother responded, " Well, dear, if the Lord 
should see fit to cut short your sufferings, you 
would be willing ? " 

" O yes," was her ready answer ; " but I would 
be willing to endure suffering for the sake of being 



212 EARLY CROWNED. 

with you all a little longer, I have been away from 
home so much lately. I want Mr. Foss to come 
and pray with me." 

But Mr. Foss was far away ; and though Mary, 
forgetting this in her hour of extremity, yearned 
for the presence of the pastor who had received 
her into the Church so long ago, it was impossible 
to send him word. 

Presently she was heard to say in a whisper, 
clasping her hands, " The Lord is my shepherd." 
She now began to dispose of her personal treasures? 
but had only mentioned a few, when she became 
too exhausted to proceed. 

Her mother then said, " What shall I tell Char- 
lie for you ? " referring to her brother at college. 

" Give him my warmest love ; he knows what I 
am ; tell him to meet me in heaven." 

Soon after she asked her father to read the 
twelfth of Hebrews, to which she listened with 
attention. When he reached the verse, "But ye 
are come unto Mount Zion," she was specially in- 
terested ; and when reading the passage, " and to 
Jesus the Mediator," her face was lighted with an 
angelic smile. At her request was sung M Rock 
of Ages," and during the singing she repeated with 
her lips every word. 



EARLY CROWNED. 213 

It was then suggested that the hymn be read, 
" How happy every child of grace," which was 
always a great favorite of Mary's. Her father 
took up the Church hymn book to read from, 
but she shook her head and said, "Xo, no, the 
other book," referring to a volume of Charles 
Wesley's sacred poetry, which had been her daily 
companion during her absence in Maryland. 
While her father read verse after verse, she was 
fixed in her attention, and drank in every word. 
Coming to the passage, 

44 WTiat is tliere here to court my stay, 
Or keep me back from home," 

she quickly and clearly repeated the remaining 

couplet : 

" While angels beckon me away, 
And Jesus bids me come ? " 

After finishing the poem, her father stepped into 
another room, but was quickly called back, as Mary 
wished him to pray. All knelt during prayer, and 
none seemed more interested than the dear object 
01 the petitions. 

After this, while her mother was leaning over 
her, she said, " You have been a good mother to 
me ; " and inclining her head toward her father, she 
added, " and father too." 



214 EARLY CROWNED. 

In a few moments she was heard to say, u Why 
don't he come ?" 

The nurse said, " Who ? " 

" Jesus ; I want to die." 

Presently she seemed distressed, and said, " I 
wish I could die right away." 

Turning to her faithful nurse and grasping her 
hand, she said very earnestly, 

" Fanny, I love you ; in this world I can never 
repay you, but the Lord will reward you. Meet 
me in heaven." 

In a moment she inquired, "Fanny, am I 
worse ? " 

" Yes, dear, you are sinking very fast." 

"Where's ma? call her." 

Her mother, who had stepped into an adjoining 
room to compose herself, returned and said, "Well, 
dear ? " Mary said, " Tou will dispose of all my 
trinkets in a sensible manner." 

Her mother now said, " What shall I tell Louisa 
for you ? " 

" O what a trial to go without seeing her ! tell 
her to meet me in heaven." 

" What shall I tell Florence? " 

" I wanted to talk to Florence; tell he* to meet 
me in heaven." 



EARLY CROWKED. 215 

" What shall I say to Miss Lindsay ? " 

Making a significant motion with her head, she 
answered, "How I love her! Tell her to meet 
me in heaven." 

" Have you any message for Cousin Annie ? " 

" I have written to her." 

u What shall I tell Cousin John and Fanny ? " 

u Tell them I love them, to meet me in heaven, 
and to do all the good they can while here below." 

After sending her love to an absent uncle, and re- 
questing that the slippers she was working for him 
might be given him, she uttered such expressions 
as these : " Jesus, take me ; " "I am going, going." 
Her sight began to fail, when she said, "How 
queer! I see it — white." Again she uttered, "How 
queer ! I can't see — more light." 

The shutters were now thrown wide open, when 
she said, " It don't last." 

Her aunt now asked her, " Can you see Aunt 
Janie?" 

She replied, " I can see a little." 

Her mother kissed her forehead, when Mary 
whispered, " I want to kiss them all." 

Her father held up the little children one by 
one, whom she kissed, and said " Good-night " to 
each ; mentioning the name of only one, the young- 



216 EARLY CROWNED. 

est, to whom she said " Good-night, Allie." And 
now as they all stood round the dying saint, she 
spread her hands and said : 

" Good-night, good-night ; our Father in heaven 
will take care of you all." 

Her father said to her, " Daughter, is the way 
still clear ? " 

" Yes," she replied, " very, very clear." 

This was her last response, and was it not fitting 
to be her last ? The brightness of her path was 
growing into " perfect day," and should she not 
say " Very, very clear ? " 

, Presently she was heard to whisper, " Why am I 
taken and the others left ? Then she exclaimed, 
"Home, home, sweet home; heaven is my home," 
and then every breath was " home," until the last 
faint word seemed echoed from the heavenly shore, 
and we knew that our loved one had "entered 
into rest." 

And so on that holy Sabbath our Mary passed 
away in the lovely freshness of the spring morn- 
ing, with the birds singing sweetly, the sun shining 
brightly, the breezes playing softly, passed away 
from the beauties of earth to the glories of heaven. 

Her peaceful death was a fitting end to her earn- 
est and useful life. 



EAELY CROWNED. 217 

To us is left her empty chair, her vacant cham- 
ber, and her hallowed grave, with the priceless 
memories of her beautiful, holy life. 

"We miss her in the place of prayer, 

And by the hearth-fires bright : 
We pause beside her door to hear 

Once more her sweet good-night." 

We mourn onr loss, but to her " to die was 
gain." 

On the day after Mary died a little company of 
friends came to pay the last tribute of respect to 
those precious remains, and through those rooms 
of which she had so often been the graceful orna- 
ment softly rang these fitting lines : 

" How blest the righteous when he dies 1 

When sinks a weary soul to rest, 
How mildly beam the closing eyes ! 

How gently heaves th' expiring breast ! 

" Farewell, conflicting hopes and fears, 
Where lights and shades alternate dwell : 

How bright th' unchanging morn appears 1 
Farewell, inconstant world, farewell ! " 

And on Tuesday morning they bore our loved 
one to the church of her youth, and laid her within 
that altar where she first consecrated herself to the 
Lord. In an open coffin, with her hands clasped 
over a cross of flowers, and a crown of lovely bios- 



218 EARLY CROWNED. 

soms at her head, lay " the beautiful clay," which 
was all that was left to us. The house was crowded 
with friends who met to mourn their loss; but 
their mourning was turned to joy at hearing how 
the Lord had supported her in her last hours, and 
ministered to her an " abundant entrance " into the 
kingdom. 

Said one, in speaking of the impressive occasion, 
"It seemed more like a time of joy than sadness, 
for each heart was gladdened at hearing of her 
triumphant death, and all united in thanking her 
Master for her useful life." 

And w^hen at sunset we stood around her open 
grave, on the green slope of a lovely hill in Green- 
wood, "we thought how we had sighed that she 
might find an atmosphere, in Minnesota or else- 
where, so balmy as to heal her wounded lungs, and 
give her health, and ease, and vigor. She has 
found it, all perfumed with immortality, near the 
throne. All to her is gain: health for sickness; 
life for death ; the associations of heaven for those 
of earth ; the full expansion and development of 
eternity for the slowly opening energies of time; 
the crown of glory for the cross of suffering. 

" friend ! sister I not in vain 

Thy life, so calm and true ; 
The silver dropping of the rain ; 

The fall of summer dew I 



EARLY CROWNED. 219 

11 How many burdened hearts have prayed 

Their lives like thine might he ! 
But more shall pray henceforth for aid 

^ lay them down like thee." 

u By the bright waters now thy lot is cast, 
Joy for thee, happy friend 1 thy bark hath past 
The rough sea's foam ! 

c; Xow the long yearnings of thy soul are stilled, 
Home, home ! thy peace is won, thy heart is filled : 
Thou art gone home ! " 

Hehans. 

As I have prosecuted this loving task, I have 
found myself, many times, pondering this question : 
What was that which constituted the peculiar 
power and charm of Mary's life ? As I view it, it 
consisted of many blended beauties, of which, more 
prominent than the rest, were that look and man- 
ner our Saviour must have had when he said, 
" Wist ye not I must be about my father's busi- 
ness ; " that strange earnestness of expression 
which marked a soul intent upon some noble, lofty 
purpose ; that conscientiousness so delicate, so sen- 
sitive, taking alarm at every intimation of wrong, 
and keeping the soul forever on its guard ; that 
transparent purity and simplicity, even of the imag- 
ination, before which indelicacy stood abashed ; that 
lovingness of heart, ever overflowing in beneficent 
activities, in thoughts and words and deeds of love, 



220 EARLY CROWNED. 

in holy ministries of affection toward all with 
whom a gracious Providence temporarily associ- 
ated her. 

And now my loving task is done. It has been a 
joy to rehearse the story of my friend's life, and I 
have tried to tell it as it was, in its every-day inci- 
dents, in its trials and crosses, as well as its joys 
and pleasures ; and if in the heart of any reader 
there has been awakened one earnest desire to be 
more devoted to the service of our blessed Master, 
and more helpful to our fellow-pilgrims in the way 
to heaven, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, 
but unto thy name be glory." 



MARY'S BROTHER. 



%\t Sisto's ML 

A voice from the spirit-land, 

A voice from the silent tomb, 
Entreats with a sweet command, 
Brother, come home ! 

List, list ! 'tis a sister gone ; 

Unseen, yet where'er I roam, 
She calls from her star-lit throne, 
Brother, come home ! 

At eve, when the crimson west 

Is dyed by the setting sun, 
She calls like a spirit blest, . " 

Brother, come home 1 

Abroad in the stilly night, 
A stranger and all alone, 
I hear through the misty light, 
Brother, come home 1 

In dreams of the midnight, deep, 

When angels of mercy come, 
I startle to hear in sleep, 

Brother, come home ! 

When far from my father's hearth, 

I sail o'er the white sea foam, 
I hear through the storm wind's mirth, 
Brother, come home I 

By sorrow and sin oppressed, 
She answers to every moan, 
44 Come here, where the weary rest," 
Brother, come home I 

Ah, loved one, I haste to thee ; 

Soon, soon shall I reach thy home ; 
And there wilt thou welcome me, 
I come ! I come ! 



MARY'S BROTHER 



G. ADOLPHUS NORTH 

DIED AT SEA, MAY 16, 1866, AGED IT YEAKS AND 
10 MONTHS. 



When I took my pen, not three months ago, to 
leave a simple record of my dear Mary's life, I had 
no thought of this supplementary chapter; but 
when interrupted in my labor by the summons to 
that lovely hill, once more sanctified by a believer's 
death, I solicited and obtained the privilege of lay- 
ing this tribute of love on Dolphie's grave. 

Adolphus was our Mary's second brother, and 
at the time she left us he was not seventeen years 
old. Six years before, his mind had been in an 
especial manner turned toward heavenly things, 
and all who know him unite in saying he had tried 
to be a Christian child. 

And Dolph had much to struggle against; his 
sister and brothers were all quieter and more seri- 
ous children than he. When yet very young, he 
showed a restlessness of manner and an inordinate 



224 EARLY CROWNED. 

love of fun, which, with his inquiring mind and 
active body, often led him into mischief. His 
powers of mimicry were very great, and we cannot 
recollect without a smile the funny gestures and 
quaint ways with which, as a boy, he would amuse 
us. Anything odd or ludicrous at any place would 
seem irresistibly to affect him, and his parents 
often dreaded lest this propensity might over- 
come his more serious moments, and render 
fruitless their endeavors to give stability to his 
character. 

But when he gave his heart to the Lord, though 
only eleven years of age, it was with a determina- 
tion to fight manfully under his banner, not only 
against the world and the devil, but against self; 
and though often almost discouraged and over- 
come, he would not give up the struggle. 

All the best and purest feelings of his nature had 
been gradually developed, till, during the winter 
that Mary spent in the South, when the eldest 
brother was in college, and the father away many 
weeks on business, we were all astonished to notice 
how much of a man Dolphie had become. He 
coveted earnestly the best gifts, and " whatsoever 
things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, 
whatsoever things are of good report," he not 



EARLY CROWNED. 225 

only made the subject of his thoughts, but also of 
his prayers and efforts. 

When Mary passed away her mantle seemed to 
fall on Dolph, and none was more obliging, more 
loving, more Christ* like than he. A letter written 
by him on his seventeenth birthday will show him 
as he was the last two years : 

" Dear Mother : I can scarcely express my feel- 
ings on this seventeenth birthday, so many things 
crowd upon my thoughts. I look back upon my 
past life, and find, to my great grief, that it has 
fallen far short of the standard which I should 
have attained. And when I think of it, I am filled 
with amazement that my heavenly Father has in so 
great mercy preserved my days unto the present. 
It is my firm desire and determination, my deai 
mother, to follow hereafter more rigidly the fool 
steps of our blessed Saviour, that I may in all the 
various walks of life evince a disposition to what 
is right and well-pleasing in the sight of God. 
Will you and pa add your prayers that I may carry 
out my resolution, and thereby experience that 
' peace which passeth understanding ? ' Especially 
this day I can look forward to the time when I 
must be something — must be a man, must occupy 



226 EARLY CROWNED. 

some position among men ; and O, may God's grace 
assist me in my efforts from henceforth to prepare 
myself for life's great struggle, that I may do 
honor both to my parents and my God. 

" I feel, moreover, that, Charlie being away from 
home so much, and the position of eldest child at 
home falling upon me, I must be an example to my 
younger brothers and sisters, and with the assist- 
ance of our heavenly Father I mean that it shall 
be a good one. God help me ! Dear mother, I feel 
that the death of dear sister has been, and will be, 
beneficial to me ; and O, why should it not ? Was 
there ever a more lovely and perfect example of 
true holiness ? I pray God that a double portion 
of it may rest upon me. And now, above all, I 
need your prayers to sustain me in my resolutions. 
I know that I have been a forgetful, disobedient, 
and wayward child, grieving my parents much 
and oft, besides disregarding God's holy law ; but 
I firmly hope that with divine aid I may redeem 
my character, and fully make up for what I havo 
lost. This I ask for Jesus's sake. 

" Your most affectionate son, "Dolph." 

Shortly after this, on a pleasant day in August, 
there gathered in the cool sitting-room at " Ash- 



EARLY CROWNED. 227 

ridge " a friendly party of six young folks. We 
had often before met thus, but now our number 
was broken — one was detained by other engage- 
ments, and one " was not," for God had taken 
her. The greetings were subdued, the merry 
laugh was quieter, and the quick repartee was 
checked; and when we heard a step on the stair, 
or a door opened, we involuntarily waited to hear 
Mary's welcome, and to see her loving face ; but 
she came not. 

As we ascended the stairs, and turned toward 
the familiar room, we almost expected, on enter- 
ing, to meet her. Over the mantle hung her much- 
prized " crosses ; " at one side a picture of the 
good ship " Winthrop ; " (a birthday gift only a 
year before ;) and over the bed hung the cross and 
crown of flowers taken from her coffin — all the 
same ; on the table her Bible, in one corner her 
work-basket and sewing-chair — and she who gave 
a charm to all was gone from our midst. 

But her spirit hovered over us, and when we 
gathered, a happy group, at our diversions or our 
more serious employments, we could not, we would 
not forget her. And even then we said aside 
to each other, "How much Dolph is like Mary! 
how good he is growing ! " Dear boy, already 



228 EARLY CROWNED. 

the light of heaven was on his brow and we 
knew it not. 

On Sabbath afternoon we slowly walked to the 
little school-house, and from the lips of one of our 
number (almost a stranger yet a friend) we heard 
an earnest, loving exposition of those words of our 
Saviour : " Whosoever will come after me, let him 
deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me." 
How well I recall the hymn we sang so softly at 
the close of our service : 

" Must Jesus bear the cross alone, 

And all the world go free ? 
No, there's a cross for every one, 

And there's a cross for rne. 

" How happy are the saints above, 

Who once went sorrowing here ; 
But now they taste unmingled love, 

And joy without a tear." 

I cannot help thinking that then and there, while 
remembering our saint above, and influenced by 
those earnest words addressed to all who would 
come after Christ and be his disciples, Dolph was 
strengthened^ his birthday resolves, and determ- 
ined that nothing should separate him " from the 
love of God." 

Through all the summer he daily grew in favor 
with God and man ; and though a mother's loving 



EARLY CROWNED. 229 

ear heard a slight cough, and her watchful eye de- 
tected some signs of weariness at times, yet we 
thought Dolph is only growing ; as soon as cool 
weather comes he will be stronger. 

The cooler days drew on apace, and in Septem- 
ber Dolph and his young brother began to go daily 
to the city to school. Already he had laid his 
plans for the improvement of his mind during the 
coming winter ; already he had commenced, with 
the hope and anticipation of youth, to look forward 
to the close of this school year, when he would 
enter college while yet his brother remained there. 

But as the October days grew chilly his cough 
became apparent to all ; the healthful color left his 
cheeks ; and with almost nervous haste, remember- 
ing Mary's decline, his parents first consulted the 
family physician, and then carried Dolph to an ex- 
perienced lung doctor. Rest and a change of air 
-were prescribed ; if possible, a sea voyage. This 
intelligence fell like a shock on a large circle of 
friends, for, even while yet unconscious of his ill- 
ness, -disease had made fearful inroads on his frame. 

Meanwhile our sympathies were more fully awak- 
ened for Dolph on account of our solicitude for 
the health of my own brother, whose physician 
had recommended the same remedy. From this 



230 EAELY CROWNED. 

time how many plans were discussed, how many 
ways proposed, for sending the two lads from 
home ! 

Thus came to a hasty end all Dolph's pleasant 
hopes for the future, and the whole current of his 
thoughts was changed. During the anxious two 
months which now elapsed, he went quietly in and 
out at home, reading and resting, and on the few 
fine days which autumn afforded, taking such exer- 
cise as his strength would permit. The prayers 
of many were offered for his recovery, and many 
were the kind inquiries and loving messages sent 
by friends to the home on the hill. 

His schoolmates, with whom he was thus sud- 
denly called to part, will long cherish his pleasant 
memory. An extract from a letter of his much 
esteemed teacher will show us Dolph as a school- 
boy: 

" As my relations to Adolphus were such as- 
necessarily to give me very close and very clear 
views of his mental constitution, it may not, per- 
haps, be altogether out of place for me to point to 
at least one trait by which he was remarkably dis- 
tinguished. I mean his docility. He was docile 
in that double sense, which consists in being both 
able to be taught, and willing to be taught. Not 



EARLY CROWNED. 231 

that he was endowed with any extraordinary 
powers of natural genius, though his capacity was 
decidedly good ; but that his ready appreciative 
sjDirit always cordially seconded the efforts of his 
instructor. Under the influence of this spirit, 
difficulties failed to operate as discouragements ; 
diligence showed itself in his preparations ; and, in 
fcis recitations, when you paused to amplify or ex- 
plain, there was a sustained attention which further 
showed that, in things intellectual as in things 
moral and religious, he had learned obedience to 
the precept, ' Take heed what ye hear.' " 

Counting this an admirable trait, I should be 
tempted strongly to press it for imitation. I 
should, indeed, make it the chief feature; for it 
gave, I doubt not, the principal charm to his 
whole character. This lovely docility inclined his 
ear, and kept it inclined to that best of all teachers, 
who said, u Learn of me" 

This will account for the esteem in which he was 
held in the Bible class. This alone will duly account 
for the patient, nay, the cheerful submission with 
which he met the painful teachings of his last year. 

Intent on the setting forth of a single point, be- 
cause in that I see, or think I see, the main lesson 
of that brief though beautiful life, I pass over 



232 EARLY CROWNED. 

what some might think most important to be con- 
sidered in this connection ; such things, for exam- 
ple, as ordinary manners, etc. On this it is quite 
enough for me to say, that his bearing was a 
constant exhibition of the proprieties of Christian 
character. 

In the early part of November it was decided to 
send our clear boys to South America, to the care 
of one of our missionaries at Buenos Ayres ; and, 
as the Missionary Board were about sending an- 
other laborer to that part of the field, the oppor- 
tunity was gladly embraced of sending our invalids 
in his company. After numerous delays the date 
of sailing was fixed at the twentieth, and prepara- 
tions were hurriedly but carefully made for the two 
young travelers leaving home. Of the last Sabbath 
we cannot think but with peculiar emotions. That 
Dolph was very ill could no longer be doubted ; 
his hollow cough, his sunken cheeks, his feeble 
step, were apparent to all ; but through and above 
the traces of suffering we could see his hope and 
his resignation. 

It had always been the custom with his parents 
to make every important event in the family circle 
of as much interest as possible to all its members ; 
and ntf great step was ever taken without asking 



EARLY CROWNED. 233 

the blessings of God upon the effort. On this Sab- 
bath evening the family assembled in the pleasant 
sitting-room for a prayer and experience meeting, 
and after singing a hymn of praise, and committing 
their loved one to the tender mercy of the Lord, 
each in turn rose to tell of his hopes and fears, and 
prayers for Dolph. And while one spoke of his 
consistent example, another Of his patience and 
kindness, and a third of his efforts to lead others 
to the Saviour, Dolph seemed much affected. After 
all had spoken he said, " This is the first time I 
ever thought I had done good to anybody." Then 
he told of his love for his Redeemer, of his trust 
in his merits, of his hope of recovery, and ended 
by assuring his parents that he would "stand up 
for Jesus." 

The next day we met him at the ship, but 
unexpected delays prevented it sailing at the 
time appointed, so for two days the family waited 
in the city, and on the third, early in the morning, 
we said farewell to the young voyagers, not 
knowing whether we should look on their face& 
again. 

The feelings of a father found vent in these lines, 
which were Dolph's constant study during his 
voyage : 



234 EARLY CROWNED. 



TO MY DEAR DOLPH. 

" Go forth., my son, the vessel's deck to tread, 

"With, firm, if not elastic step ; 
Resolved to meet each storm and angry sea 

In God's great name, who guideth thee. 

u In hours of feebleness, when longing thoughts 

Of loving ones, left far behind, 
^teal o'er thy heart, and bring the tear and sigh, 

Forget not thou that God is nigh. 

" Not in the atonn alone will he appear, 
Soft saying to the winds, ' Be still : ' 

But closer yet, within thy troubled breast, 
The Saviour's voice shall give thee rest. 

" c Rest for the weary,' thou hast often sung ; 

Meaningless, in the lap of ease ; 
But thou shalt know in perils of the deep, 

* He giveth his beloved sleep.' 

" So when on Argentina's shores thou'lt tread, 

Where other gods than thine are served, 
And sin in garb of pleasure bids thee yield, 
Then cover thee with Christ, thy shield. 

" I know thee, Dolph ; in sickness thou wilt prove 
How precious is the grace of Christ ; 

Meekly bending, thou'lt kiss th' outstretch' d rod, 
In suffering still honoring God. 

" Or if reviving health shall give thee strength, 
The i'lt use that strength in sowing wide 

The gospel seed, upon that barren soil, 
And so shalt bless those sons of toil. 

44 son ! my dearly loved, thy unfill'd seat 

At table, or the place of prayer, 
Shall morn and eve to th ' pensive group recall 

Thy pleasant face, so dear to all. 



EARLY CROWNED. 235 

M A favored father I, and highly blest 

With children of such precious worth : 
Seven living ; one is not, yet is— 

A joyous white-robed saint in bliss. 

" Next her, because the chast'ning hand is laid, 

Thou dearest art of all the group ; 
And 0, my boy, this parting's mixed with pain 

Lest we shall never meet again. 

a No ! never's not the word ; we'll meet again. 

If not here, yet in th' other world 
Where darling Mary's gone before to greet 

Father and son, who there shall meet." 



When the pilot left the ship the boys sent by 
him their first letters for home. Dolphie's I insert : 

M Going down the Harbor, 12£ o'clock, Dec, 20, 1865. 
"Dear Mother: We find that we will have a 
chance to send home by the pilot. Pa can tell how 
we reached the vessel, and our parting. I watched 
the folks till they were out of sight, lost among the 
ships and docks. I have fussed around the cabin 
some, and have got things somewhat to rights, and 
have also been out to watch the sailors hoist sail, etc. 
Their voices, as they work, are veiy musical. 
Well, as to myself, I am very calm and hopeful, not 
desponding in the least. And now, dear mother, 
don't allow yourself to repine or be low-spirited 
on my account. I am in the Lord's hands, and am 



236 EARLY CROWNED. 

sure he will direct all things for our good. I don't 
want you to think of me as poor Dolph, but as 
happy Dolph — cheerful, and making the best of 
everything. Dear mother, how much I love you 
I never can tell; no one knows but our Father. 
O ! can I ever repay the years of care and love 
that you have bestowed upon me? How much 
more I think of you now when that care is taken 
away ! And so I love the whole family ; never will 
I again find so loving a circle. O how I shall think 
of them time and again ! All we can do now is to 
put our trust in Him who rules the winds and 
waves, and doeth all things well. O, pray for me ! 
mother, father, all, that the good Lord will give 
me 'strength to withstand all the fiery darts of the 
wicked one. 'Father, I beseech thee that thy 
spirit may go with me and strengthen me in the 
hour of temptation and trial, and that thy young 
servant may become more perfect day by day, and 
feel after it is over that it has been a blessing to 
him.' I need say no more; you all know that I 
have the image of each one printed indelibly upon 
the innermost part of my heart. I praise God for 
such parents, and brothers, and sisters My mind 
is peaceful, and I am prepared to do whatever I 
have to do. May God protect, bless, and watch 



EAELY CKOWNED. 237 

over us all, and bring us to himself, where we shall 
find rest for our weary souls ! 

" Tour loving " Dolphie." 

After writing this letter, and watching the pilot 
carry it away, Dolphie felt as if the last tie that 
bound him to home was broken, and he must now 
look forward to the end of his journey. A little 
memorandum kept by him during the voyage tells 
us of the weariness to the little company of the sev- 
enty days' passage. He notes the changes of the 
weather, the sight of a distant sail, or nearer view 
of a homeward bound vessel, the daily progress of 
the ship, as matters of interest in the monotonous 
life which they led. TTe find also remarks on the 
sermons preached by their fellow-voyager, Rev. 
Mr. S., and the texts of the discourses preserved. 
Reading these, I cannot but picture to myself the 
group gathered in the little cabin on Sabbath after- 
noons — how different from Sabbath worship at 
home! Yet u the Lord is nigh to all them that 
call upon him," and the cabin of the Volant was 
the birthplace of an immortal soul. 

But what Dolph does not write George tells us: 
of his daily increasing feebleness, of his patience 
and fortitude, of his resignation to the Lord's 



238 EAKLY CROWNED. 

will, as well as his continued hope and cheer- 
fulness. 

Like Mary, he possessed an indomitable will, 
which would not succumb to weakness; and we 
doubt not, had hope of his recovery faded in his 
own breast ivhen it did in his companions', he 
would have died on Argentina's shore, or found a 
watery grave early in the homeward voyage. 

On the first of March the vessel reached her 
destined port, where letters from home were al- 
ready awaiting the travelers. They were most 
kindly received and hospitably entertained by our 
missionary at Buenos Ayres, Rev. Mr. Goodfellow, 
who interested himself as only a Christian could 
for the welfare of our dear boys. The following 
extracts are from Dolphie's two letters home : 

" Lomos Station, Buenos Ayres, March 10, 1866. 
"Dear Pa and Ma: O how I love to speak 
those names and think of their owners, and how I 
praise my heavenly Father that he has blessed me 
with such parents. O that I had some means of 
expressing my love for you ! God only knows how 
deeply I feel your past indulgence, care, and loving 
tenderness to me. Would to God that I might 
repay you in some way ; I would do anything if it 



EARLY CROWNED. 239 

would only further your happiness. And O ! my 
affection has been doubly increased by this separa- 
tion, when I find myself deprived of your presence 
and care. 

" When I look back upon my past life I see 
that many times I have grieved you and caused 
you pain and distress, that many times I have done 
wrong in the family toward my brothers ana sisters, 
and have done things contrary both to the will of 
my parents and my God. And now, dear parents, 
I want you to pardon a sinful son, as I think 
God will, and pray that he may become a better 
son and brother, and a true follower of the Lamb. 
I trust that through the grace of God I am still 
pressing on in the path of righteousness. O ! I 
feel there is nothing a man can give in exchange 
for religion ; that is the root and foundation of all 
good. I ask your prayers, and I know I will have 
them, that I may grow in grace more and more, 
and that I may strive to know what is that good, 
and acceptable, and perfect will of God, and do it 
with all my strength. I suppose now that I must 
write about my health, and I will tell you plainly 
how things are. I find that the sea voyage has 
done me no good, owing, I think, to the tedious* 
ness of it and the bad living, so that upon landing 



240 EAKLY CROWNED. 

I found myself extremely weak, and my cough 
about the same. . . . 

My dear parents, do not be discouraged about 
me from what I have written, for I am not. Let 
us trust it all to our heavenly Father ; he certainly 
will do what is best for us. And may the good 
Lord protect and bless you both, and his grace be 
sufficient for you; and may he also bless me and 
watch over me that I stray not from the fold ; and 
may he so teach us to live on earth, that when we 
come to depart this life we may all meet around 
the mercy seat. Amen. 

" Your loving son, " Dolph." 

"Lomos Station, Buenos Aybes, March 12, 1866. 
"Dear Mother: ... I received your second 
batch of letters two days ago, (Saturday.) O how 
they comforted me to think I had such loving ones 
at home thinking about me, and I longed to fly 
away and be among you and show how I loved 
you. I want you to thank them all for writing to 
me, and tell them I will try to repay them when I 
get home. Now, dear mother, what words can 
I find to express my love for you? None. God 
alone can measure my affection. When I think of 
the years of trouble, and care, and anxiety you 



EARLY CROWNED. 241 

have had in training me in the right path, I feel 
nothing I have done or ever can do will half repay 
it. May God reward yon, mother, and make your 
son one in whom you may delight, and who will 
honor his mother and his God. I have found since 
I have been away so many little evidences of your 
care and love ; and above all, that precious letter ! 
O how that has cheered me, you cannot tell ! And, 
mother, if it should be the will of the Lord that I 
should give up this mortal body, I am sure enough 
good has resulted from my sickness to recompense 
for all the pain and sorrow. Mother, pray for me 
that c whether living or dying I may be wholly the 
Lord's.' 

" God grant, dear mother, that we may meet 
on earth; if not, in heaven. Heaven bless you, 
mother. " Dolph." 

As soon as they reached Buenos Ayres the boy& 
consulted an experienced physician as to the expe- 
diency of remaining there, who at once decided 
that they should stay no longer than was necessary 
to make arrangements for their immediate return. 
It was after seeing this physician and hearing his 
opinion that Dolphie wrote those lines in his first 

letter: "Dear parents, do not be discouraged 
16 



242 EARLY CROWNED. 

about me from what I have written, for I am not. 
Let us trust it all to our heavenly Father ; he cer- 
tainly will do what is best for us." 

During their sojourn in Buenos Ayres of twenty- 
eight days, Dolph endeared himself to all whose 
acquaintance he made ; and many remarked his 
patient, uncomplaining spirit, and cheerful acquies- 
cence in all the plans proposed by friends there 
for his homeward voyage. In a letter written to 
his father, the Rev. Mr. Goodfellow, Superintend- 
ent of the Mission, speaks thus : " Your son is 
thoughtful, intelligently pious, and habitually be- 
lieving ; he wins favor everywhere. We shall long 
remember the frail youth, and his companion of 
woman-like tenderness. They did us all good, and 
we regretted being of so little service to them." 

On the 28th of March the young voyagers em- 
barked on the " Lizzie " for Boston ; Dolph full of 
hopeful anticipations, George with fear and trem- 
bling lest on the homeward voyage " one should 
be taken and the other left." Our kind friends in 
South America, after making every arrangement 
for the travelers, and bidding them " Godspeed," 
ceased not to pray that favoring winds and peace- 
ful gales would waft the little bark speedily home, 
and the Lord would spare Dolphie to reach his 



EARLY CROWNED. 243 

father's arms, and rest his weary head upon his 
mother's bosom. 

During the voyage his sufferings were much 
alleviated by the kind attention of the Christian 
captain, and of the passengers, two in number, 
who rendered him every service that sympathizing 
hearts could suggest and willing hands bestow. 
May the Lord reward them ! 

From letters written by these two gentlemen, 
we see how his life impressed them, and we can* 
not but be thankful that he let his light so shine : 

" During his illness he never complained ; was 
always cheerful and willing to enter into conversa- 
tion, more especially about home, or a religious 
topic. Even when confined to his berth, the hope 
of seeing his friends never flagged. 

" Adolphus was so submissive and patient W6 
could but love him, and strive to prevent unneces- 
sary suffering during the voyage. I think he had 
a natural desire to live ; but I believe that he was 
well aware of his situation, and though not in- 
clined to speak of death, his thoughtfulness and 
daily walk were such that I have no doubt he was 
aware what must be the final result of his disease. 
He spoke of his sickness with calmness and with- 
out a murmur, and frequently alluded to his depart- 



244 EARLY CROWNED. 

ed sister, and spoke of the lovely Sabbath morn on 
which she died. ^The little Testament which had 
been her's was his pocket companion, and he 
would ponder the passages which she had marked, 
making it his daily study even when his bodily 
strength was nearly exhausted. I have seen him 
kneeling in silent prayer when he had hardly 
strength to rise again. I enjoyed reading the Bible 
and hymns to him, and though he commented but 
little, his sincere c thank you ' expressed not only 
gratitude to me, but to the Giver of the precious 
truths. c Christ the good shepherd ' (John x, 1-18) 
was one of his selections, and the ninth verse he 
loved much. The last time I read to him was the 
night preceding the one on which he died, Psalm 
cxix, and hymn ' Rock of Ages.' In conclusion, 
I can only say he died as he had lived ; nay, rather, 
' he is not dead, but sleepeth.' " 

His hope and courage never left him; and even 
when, four days before reaching port, he was 
obliged to keep his berth from weakness, he calmly 
consulted George as to the best way of journeying 
homeward from Boston, and spoke of his joy at the 
thoughts of seeing home and friends once more. 

It was on Friday, May II, that he was compelled 
to retire to his bed, and growing gradually weaker, 



EARLY CKOWNED. 245 

George asked him, 'Dolph, if anything should 
happen that you should not see your parents, or 
that I should get home first, is there any message 
you would like me to take?' He immediately 
answered, ' Tell ma and pa I have tried to serve 
the Lord.' From this time his mind wandered ; all 
his talk was of home and its dear ones, continually 
fancying himself among them. The last Scripture 
he heard was Psalm xxiii. Did he remember that 
Mary said those words while she was dying ? 

George had been reading, and when he stopped, 
Dolph whispered "read more ; read the twenty-third 
Psalm." And I think none of that little company 
who gathered round his dying bed will ever forget 
that scene, w T hen in sorrow and silence, broken 
only by the rattling of the ropes overhead and the 
dashing of the billows against the ship's side, they 
listened to those comforting words, " The Lord is 
my shepherd, I shall not want." 

"Finally, on Wednesday morning at daybreak, 
within thirtyhours of Boston, his sufferings ended ; 
his pure spirit returned to God who gave it. 

One week before, we had received a telegram 
saying the " Lizzie " was outside Boston harbor, 
and Dolphie's parents had hastened to meet their 
loved boy. But after an anxious, weary week of 



246 EARLY CROWNED. 

waiting and praying, they learned it was not to be ; 
they could never press him to their hearts again — 
he had already found rest at home. 

How different was the arrival of the ship and 
the home-coming to what we had anticipated! 
Sadly the parents returned, bearing with them the 
lifeless body of him they loved so well ; and while 
driving slowly up the hill to Ashridge in company 
with the bier that carried his precious remains, I 
heard for the first how Dolphie had left home with 
another purpose linked with his hope of recovery. 
He said to his mother the day before he left her, 
" I am determined to make a conquest of George. 
The Lord helping me, he shall come home a Chris- 
tian." Nobly was his resolve taken, and most 
nobly was it carried out; and now to the love I 
bore for Mary is added my indebtedness to her 
brother, whom the Lord has already rewarded. 

Adolphus died on the anniversary of Mary s 
funeral, and on just such another lovely day we laid 
him by her side, to wait the "resurrection of the 
just." "They were lovely and pleasant in their 
lives, and in their deaths they were not divided." 

The following lines in memory of Adolphus were 
written by J. C. Johnston, Esq. : 



EARLY CROWNED. 247 



" THE SEA GAVE UP HER DEAD." 

He died upon the sea, and yet the cave& 
Of ocean did not claim him for their own : 

No fathomless abyss received his form ; 
He sleeps not there, uncoffmed and alone. 

The winds that once were rude to Dolph forbore 
To buffet him, returning home to die ; 

At morn and eve they moaned too late, too late ! 
And bore away to heaven his latest sigh. 

Not for his ears the moaning of the sea 
So near to land, perhaps he felt its breath 

Borne on the air; the wanderer's sweetest scent, 
Yearning for home, upon the brink of death. 

And as his young heart tenderly held on 
To life, until all consciousness was past, 

God made transition all the easier 
To the afflicted sufferer at last. 

Death crept not unawares on Dolph ; his soul, 
Firm on its anchorage, rode safely through 

The only storm that strained its well-forged chain ; 
The heaven beyond lay open to his view. 

Lovely in his young life, he passed away, 
As the young die, dear to their God and ours, 

Without a trust misplaced, or grief to cast 
Long shadows o'er a pathway strewed with flowers. 

Tears have been shed for him unsparingly, 
Who never until now caused tears to flow : 

Death, the revealer, shows how great our loss, 
His gain, may we who mourn together know. 



218 EAELY CROWNED. 

The following tribute to the memory of Adol- 
phus was prepared for the columns of a The 
Republican " newspaper by its editor, and printed 
therein, June 7, 1866 : 

"Death, cannot come 
To him untimely who is fit to die ; 
The less of this cold world the more of heaven ; 
The briefer life, the earlier immortality." — Milman. 

"G. Adolphus North six months ago was one 
in our midst, mingling in society, having place in 
the Church, and a chair in the family circle of a 
beloved home. 

" To-day we miss him in the social gathering ; 
and his place is vacant in church, Sabbath-school, 
and home. The eye that so lately sparkled with 
delight is closed in death ; the tongue that uttered 
so many kindly words is silent now ; the hand that 
grasped so friendly the hand of friend is cold and 
rigid ; the heart that beat responsive to every 
fellow-feeling and throbbed with holy love is still ; 
we shall never listen to his coming footsteps again ; 
the youthful form we so much loved lies quietly 
sleeping in the grave. No child ever rested more 
peacefully upon its mother's breast than Adolphus* 
upon the bosom of mother earth. 



' EARLY CROWNED. 249 

" We first became acquainted with youLg North, 
in the summer of 1863 ; and though we saw but 
little of him then, that little made such a favorable 
impression upon our minds that we were led to 
cultivate a more intimate acquaintance, and soon 
learned to love him as a brother. His unpretend- 
ing manners and childlike simplicity ; his genial 
disposition and kindness of heart; his youthful 
piety and filial affection, lent such a charm to his 
naturally amiable character that — to slightly alter 
Halleck's beautiful couplet — 

4 None knew him "but to love Mm — 
None named him but to praise.' 

"There was little of incident in the brief young 
life of Adolphus North ; but now that he is gone 
from us we treasure up with a miser's care every 
memento of his dear name. 

" He spent an evening with the writer a few days 
before the vessel sailed. He was in good spirits, 
hopeful, and playfully remarked what he was going 
to bring back to some of us. We received a kind 
letter of thanks from him just before he left, full of 
tenderness and affection. 

" On the 10th of December he visited the Bible 
class, of which he had been a member for over two 
years, for the last time. Adolphus had so endeared 



250 EARLY CROWNED. 

himself to his teacher, and to every member of the 
class, by his modest demeanor and lively interest 
in the lessson, answering promptly, and questioning 
often on difficult passages, that this last interview" 
was a solemn one. The prayers of the class were 
pledged to follow him." 

The departure and return have been already de- 
scribed, so that the writer's beautiful recital need 
not be inserted. 

" On Saturday, the 19th of May, his funeral took 
place at his father's residence. There was a large 
concourse of citizens, friends, and relatives present ; 
and among them the Bible class, of which he had 
been a member, who sincerely and deeply mourned 
their loss. His pall-bearers were selected from 
among their number. Addresses were made by 
Rev. J. P. Hermance, of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, Sing Sing, and Revs. R. S. Foster and 
A. C. Foss, of New York. The following hymn, 
composed for the occasion by the teacher of the 
Bible class, was effectively sung, joined in by all 
present : 

FUNEKAL HYMN". 

! holy Father ! unto thee 

We bow, submissive to thy will, 
And own, in deep humility, 

That thou alone this void can fill. 



EAKLY CROWNED. 251 

We come to lay the casket by 

That held the jewel of our love ; 
In the cold grave it there shall lie — 
The jewel in a crown above ! 

>Tis meet when spring with opening flowers 

Bedecks the earth in beauty rare, 
The young, the loved, the lost of ours, 
Should bloom in heaven — perennial there? 

God ! could we but lift the vail 
That hides eternity from view, 
We would no more our lost bewail, 
No more our tears would we renew ; 

For high o'er yon empyreal plains 
Angels and spirits of the blest 
Are welcoming, in unknown strains, 
Apolphts to the realms of rest. 

Then cease these sorrows, cease these tears ; 

To God be all the glory given ; 
A few more fleeting days and years, 
And we shall meet again — in heaven ! 

"After the funeral rites were performed his 
remains were taken and deposited in the Sleepy 
Hollow Cemetery, at Tarrytown, there to rest in 
4 sure and certain hope of a glorious resurrection.' 

" Wishing further to impress upon the young 
the beautiful example of Adolphus, the Rev. Mr. 
Hermance preached an able memorial discourse on 
his life and death in the Methodist Episcopal 
Church of Sing Sing, Sabbath evening, June 3, and 



252 EARLY CROWNED. 

the following estimation of his character ts taken 
from that discourse. He took for the foundation 
of his remarks this text : ' Leaving us an example, 
that ye should follow his steps.' 1 Peter ii, 21. 

" He was a kind, gentle, polite young man. It 
is saying no more than the facts will warrant that, 
during the latter years of his life, no one ever 
heard him speak an angry word ; no one ever wit- 
nessed in him any rudeness, or saw him do an un- 
kind act. Adolphus won himself friends wherever 
he went. Such was the uniform politeness which 
marked his intercourse with others in every place 
— such was the sweetness of his disposition, and 
the gentleness of his manners, that those who came 
in contact w r ith and knew him intimately, felt not 
only admiration, but love for him. 

" Of his intellectual endowments it is only neces- 
sary for me to say that they were such as to lead 
to the brightest hopes for his future position in life. 
He was certainly possessed of mental capacities 
which, with his habits of attentive inquiry and dis- 
cipline, would have fitted him for usefulness, and 
an honorable place among his fellows. During the 
year 1865, at the request of the committee on 
speakers, he delivered an address before the Juve- 
nile Missionary Society of this Church. This was 



EARLY CROWNED. 253 

a happy effort for one so young, and will be long 
remembered by all who heard it. 

" As we turn to the contemplation of his religious 
character, we shall discover that which is equally 
worthy of our approbation. He was, on the day 
of his departure to the haven of the good, seven- 
teen years and ten months of age. About seven 
or eight years of that life were passed away by 
him in the service of God. It will thus be seen 
that his conversion took place at the early age of 
between nine and ten. That his conversion was 
genuine and thorough, is proven by the fact that 
though aforetime he was no more obedient, truth- 
ful, or gentle, or lovely than other children, yet, 
after this important event in his life, he became 
changed in a marked manner. 

"On the 8th of November, 1863, he became a 
member of the Bible class connected with this 
Church, and under the instruction of our beloved 
Brother Sheldon. Here his attendance at his class, 
his thoroughness in preparation, his attention to the 
instruction of his teacher, and the propriety of his 
general deportment, soon won for him a place in 
the hearts of his teacher and all his classmates. 
And these favorable impressions, produced at the 
time of his entrance into the class, were intensified 



254 EARLY CROWNED. 

and deepened by all his subsequent course. The 
impressions made upon the mind of his Bible class 
teacher as to his religious life were decidedly favor- 
able — that his experience was thorough, deep, and 
pure. 

" The beautiful letter written on his seventeenth 
birthday shows how his spirit was yearning after 
the invisible things of God; how former disobe- 
dience and forgetfulness were rendered hateful as 
the clearer lights of a deeper experience threw 
their illuminating rays upon the past of his life; 
how God was refining the gold and polishing the 
diamond, which was, ere many months had passed, 
to be set as a signet in his Redeemer's crown. 

" His life has not been in vain. Far, far from ft. 
We are all of us the better for his bright example 
— his beautiful life. His name and memory are 
'like precious ointment poured fQrth.' His image 
is as the memory of a beautiful picture which men 
love to dwell upon in thoughtful delight. The 
aroma of his chastened spirit, and the fragrance of 
his beautiful Christian life, yet linger along the 
paths he trod, and fill the places he frequented. 
They linger in the rooms of his father's house; 
they hover over the group gathering Sabbath after 
Sabbath in the Bible class room; they float along 



EARLY CROWNED, 255 

the dusty thoroughfares he used to travel; they 
linger around the Sunday-school in the Scarborough 
school-house ; they are in the atmosphere of the 
school-rooms where he studied; they are hanging- 
like a felt presence over the decks of the Volante 
and the Lizzie, and are penetrating their cabins ; 
they are belting ..the shores of the South American 
coast, and are felt in the mission station of Buenos 
Ayres ; and, penetrating the sensibilities of those 
who surrounded him in the moments of greatest 
trial, they have diffused themselves into distant 
regions, laden with priceless benedictions. Earth 
has been made happier, human lives have been 
made purer, and heaven has been made dearer, by 
the life and death of G. Adolphus Xorth." 

The following letter to his father lias just corne to hand. The 
writer, Eev. J. W. Shank, is a missionary to Buenos Ayres, and 
went out in company with the subject of this sketch. 

"Buenos Ayees. S. A., August 20, 1S66. 

" Dear Brother : On the 10th ultimo Brother Goodfellow re- 
ceived a letter conveying intelligence of your bereavement in thu 
death of your son Adolphus. Great as must have been the 
shock to you, I believe that mine was only second to it ; the 
more so, because I had prayed that his fond hopes and wishes 
might be realized in once more seeing loved ones so dear to his> 
heart. When the news came I was about leaving for the camp, 
and could not write ; but since my return, though at so late an 
hour, I wish to express my sympathies, hoping they may add 
something to the preciousness of your memory of one so dear. 

"Firstly, he was a Christian. Of this he convinced all who 
knew him. He used to lead us in our devotions until his cough 



256 EARLY CROWNED. 

became too severe. The captain frequently remarked to me, 
how much he enjoyed his prayers, and as often said he believed 
that if there was a Christian on earth Adolphus was one. George 
also said to me one day when we were talking of his illness, 
" One thing is certain, if Adolphus dies he will go to heaven." 
This was before George had become a Christian, but while he 
was seriously meditating upon the matter. There is no doubt 
but that the conduct of Adolphus had much to do with George's 
decision. So may we not hope that, though you were to see 
your son no more, God had sent him away to win a soul to 
Christ, and gain a star for his heavenly crown. 

" Secondly, he was a lover of knowledge ; his attainments had 
already made him in some respects the superior of all on board 
our vessel. Often did we sit and hear him relate the contents of 
a volume he had read, or some anecdote, or give a description 
of some beautiful scenery which he had witnessed. He read as 
much as he was able, but longed especially for the knowledge of 
a collegiate, and for European travel, yet seemed perfectly to re- 
sign all these into the hands of Him whom he served. 

" Thirdly, he was amiable. Wherever he went, his graceful 
manners, pleasant countenance, and fine social qualities begat 
him friends upon the slightest acquaintance. For social abilities 
he was rarely equaled by any of his age. 

" But all these things you know better than I ; and you feel his 
loss. The distress of your not being permitted to see him is 
only equaled by his not being permitted to see you. He often 
spoke of all the family with tenderest feelings, and said that if 
he ever should reach home again, he would know how to realize 
parental and brotherly affection, for which he felt that he had 
formerly been too ungrateful. He carried " home " in his mind, 
as a paradise second only to heaven, and his delight was to let 
his memory linger around the family circle, while his lips ex- 
pressed to us the joys and pleasures of a happy family. 

" But now he is gone, yet perchance his spirit lingers. He beck- 
ons heavenward ; and while there is another tie in heaven, may 
the u Comforter" dwell in the hearts of a bereaved family. " 



EARLY CROWNED. 257 

THE GRAVES OF MAEY AND ADOLPHUS IN 
SLEEPY HOLLOW CEMETERY 

BY THEIR FATHER. 

A classic vale lay sleeping by, 

Renowned through Irving' s matchless pen ; 

While Hudson rolled its waters nigh, 
And sent its tides to sea again. 

Between the vale and river lay 

A burial ground of beauty rare; 
Where tree, and mound, and winding way, 

All blending, make the prospect fair. 

A shady spot we chose — a dell 

Hid from the gaze of vulgar eyes ; 
Where parted ones might safely dwell 

Until the trump shall bid them rise. 

A score of years and more had flown 

Since we were joined in holy love ; 
And plants had round our table grown, 

Nourished by Him who dwells above. 

A peaceful group without a foe, 

No turf we broke in all those years ; 

Yet sighing said, There's coming woe ; 
This joy's too long — 'twill turn to tears. 

Death loves a shining mark, and she 
Was chosen first — fair as the moon. 

Darling Mary! — 'tis God's decree — 

Must lead the wav to the grave's dark gloom. 

17 



258 ■ EARLY CROWNED. 

Our first-born — loving, wise, and good — 
Bade fair for lengthened years; so strong, 

So healthful, 'mid the fairest stood, 

E'en though a thousand swelled the throng. 

But health and beauty were not shields 
Against the fearful shafts of death ; 

She in the painful contest yields, 
Yet triumphs in her latest breath. 

We laid her down in Greenwood's shades, 
Nor murmured, since her spirit bright 

Had gone where pleasure never fades, 
To wear her robe of spotless white. 

A son we had of precious worth ; 

All spake of him in words of praise ; 
His name like ointment when poured forth, 

And all his paths were pleasant ways. 

One morn he rose with pallid brow ; 

The luster from his eye had fled ; 
A cough, dread sound, we hear it now ; 

Alarm and sorrow o'er us spread. 

In haste we sent him on the deep, 

To far off Argentina's shore, 
With prayer that God our boy would keep, 

And bring him safely home once more. 

Four months he tossed upon the sea, 
But weaker grew each passing day, 

Till off New England's rocky lea 
His spirit flew the heavenly way. 



EARLY CROWNED. 259 

Anchored in Boston's peaceful bay, 

We bailed the bark that brought our boy; 

There, coffined, dear Adolphus lay ; 
TTe kissed his brow with tearful joy, 

Thankful his precious face to see ; 

That, nursed by friendly brawny hands, 
He was not cast into the sea, 

Nor left to die in distant lands. 

So from New England's rocky shore, 
From Greenwood's quiet hill-side shade, 

"With tender care their dust we bore, 
And side by side the dear ones laid. 

Here the pure marble speaks their worth, 

And tells, in simple chiseled words, 
Their length of days, their death, their birth, 

And how at last they are the Lord's. 

And oft the stricken family meet 

With tears and flowers around their mounds, 
And pledge the solemn vow to greet 

Their Earlv Crowned where bliss abounds. 



DOLPHIE'S FRIEND. 



The reader of the foregoing memoir of Adolphus 
North must have observed with melancholy inter- 
est the occasional allusions to the companion of his 
last journey. 

George, like Adolphus, was smitten with pulmo- 
nary disease, and sought with him a more genial 
clime. But, unlike Adolphus, he was not a Chris- 
tian. Trained by Christian parents, grown up from 
infancy to youth under the influence of the Sunday- 
school and Church, and exhibiting a correct out- 
ward deportment, his heart was still far from God. 
Because of Adolphus's decided Christian character 
he was at first averse to the contemplated conxpan- 
ionship. Happily Adolphus's influence on the voy- 
age not only secured to himself his affection, but at 
last led him to Christ ; so that on their arrival at 
Buenos Ayres George manifested his new resolu- 
tions by kneeling at the sacramental altar the first 
Sabbath after reaching that distant city. During the 
short sojourn in the Argentine Republic George's 



EARLY CROWDED. 261 

attentions to his feeble friend were no less tender 
than constant. But it was on shipboard, on the 
return voyage, that his devotion to his dying com- 
panion was womanly in its fidelity and ceaseless 
care. The officers of the vessel relate how the ro- 
bust youth sat beside the invalid, as on sunny days 
he reclined on the deck, and read to him the pre- 
cious words of Jesus ; and how he also sat pa- 
tiently {fnd long beside the narrow berth, from 
which the dying friend was no more to rise, minis- 
tering to his wants with a sister's tenderness. 
Landing at Boston, he saw the body of his com- 
rade placed safely in charge of the waiting parents 
and then hastened to New York, where a happy 
family group hailed w r ith joy his return. Ah, the 
different emotions which pervaded the two family 
circles ! " One had been taken and the other left." 
George appeared to be quite restored to health, 
but this was delusive, for in another season his old 
symptoms returned. We watched with painful 
solicitude the pale cheek, the lusterless eye, and the 
hesitating walk, which betokened the certainty of 
his early fall. A summer passed, and then a bleak 
winter, and another summer came. He had now 
become greatly enfeebled. As a last resort, and 
mainly because of his own desire, his mother ac- 



262 EARLY CROWNED. 

companied him to Chicago, on their way to the 
healthful air of Minnesota. But physician and 
friends forbade further prosecution of their plan, 
and advised an immediate return to New York. 
Accordingly the mother with the frail sufferer en- 
tered the cars for their long, sad journey. During the 
day George sat or reclined in quietness and silence, 
giving evidence of weakness but not of pain. Not- 
withstanding his feebleness he was observed to 
read his pocket Testament most of the weary 
hours. Occupying a sleeping-car, his mother laid 
him down gently to sleep as if he were an infant 
again. Undisturbed, he slumbered on until nearly 
midnight ; then awaking, his pillow was read- 
justed, afteiv which he declared his feeling of 
comfort and slept again. This time it was that 
sleep that knows no waking. The vigilant mother, 
in the silence of midnight listened, but the weary 
wheels of life stood still. Six hours more and he 
might have died in the midst of his family ; but no, 
he was to imitate the closing hours of his departed 
comrade, and reach the heavenly before the earthly 
home. He returned from Buenos Ayres a Christian, 
and united with the Church. For a season there 
was a pause in his religious growth ; then again 
his covenants were renewed. As he grew feeble 



EARLY CROWNED. 263 

there came a soft, resigned expression in his face, 
and a subdued cheerfulness in the tones of his voice 
that rendered his society pleasant, and assured him 
a welcome in the families where he visited. As he 
declined in health his spirituality increased, and 
thus the evidences were constantly developed of 
his ripeness for heaven. 

And so at last these fellow-voyagers have reached 
the end of their pilgrimage, and have exchanged 
greetings in a world without pain or sorrow. 



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